Hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed the holidays and are having a great 2023! Here we are, finally, with a new update to this story.
A note: this chapter takes place during an alternate version of "A view to a Skrill, Part 1 and Part 2."
This will be quite a long chapter, enjoy!
…
Brothers
Chapter 37: Ride of the Outcasts, Part 2
We (us dragons with our humans) hover idly in the air among the electric storm that had brewed above Berk and its waters. The sight that had us in shock is from a dragon made known to us by the Outcasts. I'm not sure what this new reptile is from…I've never seen them before in all my time here, what are they? Soon, my questions will be answered.
"Alvin!?" Hiccup gave a look of shock. We had not seen the leader of the Outcasts since we were on their island with Heather. Because of Toothless, Alvin has a nasty scar running down his face.
"H-how did you…" Hiccup shook his head.
"Learn to ride dragons? I've been busy, Dragon Conqueror."
"How…" Dagur the Deranged muttered while on my back, "how did you get your hands on it?" He looked surprised…the most shocked I had ever seen him before. I'm not sure why, but soon I would know.
Alvin knew, however, and he is amused by the Berserker's reaction, "your people were worried about 'ya…not to worry…my Skrill and I have been taking good care of 'em"
Dagur's blood boiled as his usual demeanor took over, "you're using 'em as fodder…you're a coward!"
Skrill, I thought as I raised a scaly brow…is that what this beast is called? Toothless seemed like he is not taking his eyes off them at all…as if he KNOWS what they're capable of. This greyish-purplish being does not look like it's the friendly type…or even the loquacious type. What's for sure is that they are the cause of the storm…their body is surrounded by electrical currents. So, this is the root of the problem, we should have known…
"I'm sorry but I must cut this reunion short, I'm afraid…I have an ISLAND TO OBLITERATE!" Alvin laughed as the dragon he's riding started to direct their electricity toward us! The shockwave sends us hurtling downward as the man laughed evilly…flying away into darkness.
As the shock (no pun intended) died down, Hiccup groaned in frustration at what just happened, "I can't believe this!"
Dagur curled his fists, teeth gritting as well, "how did he manage to get a Skrill under my nose…"
I soon flew to join Tooth/Hiccup's side, "Skrill…that sounds unfriendly" Hiccup quipped in his usual manner, he just had to put that out there…huh?
"My people look highly to them, Hiccup…I mean HELLO…I thought they'd be familiar to you…they're everywhere…look! There's a symbol of them on my belt!" The Berserker teen just had to stand up, making me cringe and then grimace at the sudden additional weight. He showed off the dragon emblem in his clothing, "Skrills…they're known to emit dangerous, and awesome, electrical charges…VERY DEADLY…been waiting to get my hands on one…" he smiled, quite pleased by his description. Hiccup gave a sheepish smile at this and soon tried to come up with a plan, "how do we counter it, Dagur?"
"HAHA, that's the thing, Hiccup…you don't!"
Haddock rolled his eyes slightly at this response, "come on, everything has a weakness."
"Nope…not the Skrill" Dagur chuckled before the former sighed, "Wild, you and Dagur get the others. Toothless and I will try to stop Alvin and the Skrill" the Berkian stated.
Unsurprisingly, Dagur protested, "hey! I want to come. Those are my men down there!" He retorted, pointing down to the mix of Outcasts and Berserkers on Berk.
"Please just go with WildWing!" Hiccup begged with the same intensity.
"Be careful, Flint" I heard Toothless say before I nodded, "YOU be careful…there's no telling what that Skrill can do to us" I retorted.
"Trust me…I do" Tooth shrugged his head at this.
We finally broke away. The brown-haired Viking looks down at his Night Fury, sighing softly whilst patting them on the neck, "let's get going, bud."
As I fly Dagur to Astrid and the other Dragon Riders, I hear the teen behind me growling in anger, "I can't believe Alvin is using my men…MY…MEN! I'll make him pay! He'll regret this!"
As he rants behind me, I try reaching out to the Ex-Queen…but they're too far away. Unfortunately, we're on our own this time around.
Damn it…
It isn't long before we end up meeting the others amidst the chaos. We land in the middle of the village square and Hofferson spots us, "Peanut…what's going on…" she stopped, glancing over to the male on my back, "is that Dagur on your back!?" She exclaimed in shock as I nodded in a comedic fashion.
"You got that right!" Deranged retorted before Astrid bit her lip…she didn't trust him or tolerated him…not one bit. I warbled to her and Stormfly, pointing my dragon nose at the sky where HiccTooth are…currently chasing Alvin and the Skrill.
Thanks to the flash of lightning, both can see them, "is that who I think it is!?" She muttered quite loudly. The other teens joined in, looking toward one another…wondering what we'll do.
"Uh…since when do they train dragons!?"
"I wouldn't call it that…Alvin is riding MY dragon, MY Skrill in poor fashion" Dagur retorted.
"Oh, and you know!?" Astrid snapped back, folding her arms in retaliation.
"Of course! My tribe venerates the dragon. I've been wanting to find one for so long now."
"I guess you failed in that regard…no surprise there" Astrid threw back at him. Stormfly and I look at one another, wondering how far this will go.
"I wonder who's going to hit first…" Tuffnut whispered in his sister's ear.
"I have my coins on Astrid" Ruff grinned.
"Why, 'cause she's a girl like you!? I'm betting BIG on the Berserker!"
"Go ahead!" Ruff laughed at him in return.
"Guys…" the group (the dragons and their riders) turned their attention to Fishlegs as he jumped in the conversation, "guys, this explains everything!" He has the Book of Dragons with him, and he appears overly excited, especially when he started talking about the Skrill, "The dragon can channel electricity through its body and use it as an attack! I've GOT to read more about it!" Everyone just stares at him with confusion or irritation.
"According to Bork, the Skrill draws lightning from the clouds and redirects it to their foes…it can take out multiple foes at once…"
"See, nothing can stop it, haha!" Dagur chimed in, his usual insane demeanor shining for all of us.
Astrid groaned loudly as if to interrupt their moment, "enough, we need to help the villagers, come on everyone!" She instructed and everyone followed: she is the second in command after all. Well, almost everyone followed.
"You go do that, Shrimp here and I are going back to Alvin!" Dagur laughed. I growled at him in return and Hofferson helped me on my behalf, "uh…no…you're coming with us. I'm NOT letting you out of my sight, Berserker!" Astrid retorted harshly, getting on her bird-dragon.
"Come on…dragon, let's fly!" He threw his arms out before silence shortly followed. It's so quiet I could almost hear crickets in the background…
I threw him off me by arching my back. Once he was on the floor, he could hear the twins laughing across from him on their Zippleback.
"Looks like WildWing there wants you to know YOU won't be bossing ANYONE around" Hofferson scoffed while on Stormfly.
"Pfft…alright, I'll play along Berkians, but I'm going for Alvin after this!" Dagur huffed, getting on my back again as I grunted.
"Come on!" Snot said impatiently as Hookfang snorted just as loudly and impatiently.
And just like that, we are off the ground and it's not long before we catch sight of Stoick and the others (who are by the stairs leading to the docks) fending off Berserkers and Outcasts.
"Hold 'em back lads!" Gobber exclaimed, having attached a hammer to his arm.
"Hold the line!" Stoick added.
"They're trying to flank our side, there!" Spitelout shouted, throwing an ax at a charging Berserker from the right. They managed to block the weapon with a shield though, and it isn't long before the two men engage in close combat! Unfortunately, more came in and began to overwhelm Spitelout…without any help he, and by extension Gobber and Stoick, are goners!
Before the Berkians could be swamped, the Dragon Riders and I swooped in and intervened just in time! Stormfly hopped in and used her tail barbs to send a few of them back. Hookfang used his fire (along with Meatlug's lava) to keep Outcasts at bay.
Barf/Belch, meanwhile, added in their gas/spark respectively to send some foes backward.
"H-hey! Watch it, those are MY men down there!" Dagur protested fiercely but it had little effect on the gang. Sure enough, some Berserkers looked up with shocked faces. Their former leader…is on a dragon…and not just any dragon, but a Night Fury! It's the same one they've been hunting for weeks now…personally ordered by Dagur himself! Speaking of the teen, he spotted Captain Vorg among the crowd next to some of Alvin's men.
"Of all the things I didn't expect to see, this was one of those things!" Dagur growled as I hovered above the intruders.
Vorg put on a slight face of guilt and from what I can tell it's a bit genuine at first, "we had no choice…"
"Well, not to fear…your leader is here to guide you back into the light!" Deranged exclaimed proudly, holding his arms out as I rolled my eyes quietly.
The captain, surprisingly, shook his head…much to the surprise of Dagur, "you don't lead us no more."
The Dragon Riders and Stoick (with the other adults) glance over to see the Berserker's reaction…it's not a good one. He couldn't help but laugh hysterically at this, "I'm sorry, mind saying that again…I must be deaf."
"You Don' lead Us! Alvin-"
"Alvin this, Alvin that…what happened to all of you!? You are Berserkers, not Outcasts!"
"You failed us Dagur…failed us all" Vorg ordered one of his men to aim at him, and by extension…me…
"Oh…you'll regret this, little man…" the "lead" Berserker said through his teeth.
Then…they fired at us…
Stormfly is quick to react, sending a barb to intercept several bolts but others we all had to evade.
"Oh, now YOU'RE DEAD!" Dagur scolded his former captain. Astrid decided to gather everyone for the skirmish. The Dragon Riders began counterattacking alongside Stoick, Spitelout, and the blacksmith who never left his side. Our group begins taking on the Outcast/Berserker army…trying our best to push them back to the docks.
While everyone used their usual attacks, I, meanwhile, used a newer tactic taught by Toothless to me: I use my tail to send some men on their backs all the while avoiding their blades. Since I'm bigger it works like a charm now, it wouldn't have been possible a year ago for sure. One Berserker got close enough that he could swing at me and end my life there, but Dagur intercepted them by throwing his weapon behind me. I add on by unleashing my plasma bolt: sending the foe running.
"Well done Night Fury…looks like we're a great pair!" He said before I snarled at him to concentrate.
Stoick, Gobber, and the other adult Vikings had to outflank a group trying to push through the other side. Vast and his stone-cold expression cut deep into his unprepared opponents, his reputation reminding them that he will not be easy to defeat. He's like the tallest mountain on Berk…no one in the crowd were able to stand up to his blows. And, with the help of his best friend, they overwhelmed a warrior who dare tried to cross them. 'Gobb' couldn't help but throw in his usual banter in their direction.
Amidst all the chaos around them, Belch caught sight of a familiar person in the mix. A gasp soon escaped his throat before pointing his prosthetic hammer at the man, "Mildew!?"
"Gobber!?" The old hermit shakily said, trying to back away (unfortunately into a Berserker who pushed him away after bumping into him.) It appears Mildew now has a new staff, though it's a simple brown one…probably because he didn't have time to add to it.
"You're with 'em!?" The one-legged man exclaimed in surprise.
Soon, however, Mildew quickly disappears into the cluster of people as some went in to engage the Berkians, "come back 'ere, I'll have your rearing on my wall!"
Stoick had noticed the commotion and couldn't believe it, Hiccup and the others were right (again…big surprise, am I right?) Mildew is siding with Alvin, which makes him…a traitor!
Unfortunately, the Chieftain didn't have time to dwell on the issue because more and more invaders flooded the island!
Consequently, the battle on Berk began to intensify, it literally became a fight to survive…
…
Meanwhile, in the dark, and stormy, clouds above Berk, Hiccup and his best friend Toothless were chasing Alvin and the Skrill in the darkness.
Where did he find this dragon, Hiccup asked himself. The boy couldn't really ponder on the thought, for the duo are losing them in the storm! Every time he and the teen Night Fury tried to stop Alvin, the Skrill would shoot electrical blasts at them.
"There's got to be a way…" Hiccup muttered to himself, but also loudly enough so his dragon could hear. Toothless already had enough of all this and began to charge up a plasma blast intended to down the Skrill. Unfortunately, the latter creates a kind of transparent purple sphere that blocks out the Fury's attacks!
"Ha! Stoick's boy is outmatched! Allow me to demonstrate to you what a REAL dragon can do!"
The Outcast leader begins directing his "tamed" beast toward the other duo and now it's HiccTooth getting chased. The opposing Strike-Class reptile's metallic spikes begin glowing…before they release several electrical attacks at the Fury, who barely avoids it. Tooth decides to descend rapidly toward the ocean to gain speed. The Skrill, instinct taking over, decides to follow their prey. Once they got close enough to the water…the most interesting thing happened: the former halted suddenly, "what ARE you doing, after 'em!"
Haddock looked behind him to see the concern on the Skrill's face: is it afraid of water? Why…that MUST be its weakness! Maybe if they can get the dragon in the water, they can stop it! It seemed ambitious though…how are they going to pull it off?
Distraction maybe…but no one else is here…gee…maybe it was a bad idea to send WildWing and Dagur away after all…
Speaking of us, the situation on Berk wasn't fairing much better…although Berserkers were starting to fall back a bit, exhausted in their attempts. Still, the Riders and I do our best to turn the tide in our favor even more by keeping the pressure on the invaders.
Astrid and Stormfly, with the help of Stoick and the others, tried to squeeze the armies in a pincer movement to drive them further into the docks…encouraging them to retreat out to sea. The storm around us intensified as lightning strikes became commonplace.
Dagur the Deranged is still on my back, still shouting profanity at his former second-in-command and men for betraying him. He managed to block several incoming projectiles with his weapon while one was coming at me personally. In a split second, I thought about my training with Toothless and I suddenly used my wing to block the hammer. The weapon struck and I felt no pain whatever…my membranes were strong enough to deflect the attack. It-it worked, just as Tooth said it would, I can't believe it! That was awesome!
I made a mischievous grin, swooping down toward the ground to help the others (namely Meatlug and Fishlegs) who are surrounded by soldiers. I dodge an incoming weapon, slapping it back toward its owner with my tail: it struck them hard…sending them back.
"Thanks, WildWing!" Fish smiled as his Gronckle used her fire to force the other warriors to safety. Afterward, she chirped just as happy as he did.
One Berserker charged from behind and HookFang (noticing this) jumped in to send them back with a fire blast. An Outcast tries to jump at the Monstrous Nightmare; however, I jumped in at the last second and tackled them…disarming them in the process before moving away quickly.
"Good job, Flint" the red dragon commended before I went to help Barf/Belch and the twins.
Not too long into the fight, I hear a Night Fury above, struggling cries that pierce my long ears…it's Toothless and he's in trouble! My ears dropped slightly as worry filled me.
Without a second thought, I launched myself into the sky with Dagur quickly holding on, not expecting this from me. The crazed Berserker, instead of yelling in fear, howled in excitement as he held onto my neck. I climbed until I touched the dark clouds and there…I see Toothless and Hiccup in trouble: they're being chased by the Skrill and Alvin! I gasped before narrowing my reptilian eyes...all the while giving a low growl.
"Let's get 'em, tiny Night Fury" Dagur instructed. If I wasn't so focused on saving the two most important people I have in this world, I would have thrown the Berserker off my back for sure. Nevertheless, I swoop in at fast speeds (that maybe will one day challenge Tooth's own) and my mouth glows purple.
"Over here, scaly!" I shouted. Before the Skrill can turn its head, it's hit by my blast and as I pass by, Tooth looks over with a relieved and excited expression, "Flint."
"Are you guys alright?" I asked worryingly as Hiccup looked down at me, "Wild-watch out!" He said, not finishing his first statement.
I manage to dodge a lightning bolt sent to me by our friend the Skrill who had recovered.
"Stupid dragon, how dare 'ya cross me!" Alvin yelled in his usual vulgar manner.
"Hey Alve' catch this!" Dagur threw his ax toward the Outcast; however, the latter's mount managed to evade the attack without flaw. Despite this, something unintended actually happened. As soon as the metallic weapon passed by, the Skrill followed it as if drawn by it!
Alvin's reptile retrieved the weapon in mid-air as the former laughed loudly in conjunction with the thunder around us, "no wonder 'ya tribe disowned you, Dagur! Yer useless like young Hiccup 'ere!"
As Alvin said what he said, Hiccup was scheming…
Haddock, as I had noticed, knew now that the Skrill is attracted to the metal! That became part of his plan…first they must get Alvin's attention.
"Dagur, I figured out a way to stop him…are you with me?" The boy whispered to the other teen.
The Berserker grinned in response, "Sure…anything to have his head in my bedroom!" I just had to roll my eyes and sure enough Toothless next to me copied my expression.
"Ah-we won't be doing anything like that!" Hiccup rolled his eyes back to him.
"I hope Hiccup knows what he's doing…" I said, sighing.
"What, you're doubting him?" The teen Fury rose a brow at this, but I shook my head, "me, nah…but this is the first time we got a maniac with us while saving Berk…"
"Ditto" he nodded.
After quickly telling Dagur of his plan, Hiccup turns to Alvin as the Skrill growled defiantly at us. Sure enough, the Strike-Class belonging to the Outcast chieftain spat out a barrage of lightning bolts…forcing both Toothless and me to scatter. The other Night Fury retaliated by firing his version of a plasma bolt back at the Skrill; however, the latter quickly responded. Now, both their attacks meet in the middle and create a brilliant light that blinds the three humans. A fantastic explosion shocked the skies, and the shockwave allowed me to move in and try to flank the villainous dragon. Unfortunately, they managed to catch my intention and repeated their attack. Dagur, still on my back, yelled as I tried to dodge it.
"Flint!" Tooth yelled, moving in as Hiccup held on.
Ultimately, a lightning bolt from the sky struck the Skrill and redirected it toward me. As a result, the Berserker and I are electrocuted. Fortunately, we didn't die…more like fell from the sky…
Toothless closed his wings and descended at rapid speeds. He ended up grabbing me as I managed to barely wrap my tail around Dagur's leg before he could fall further.
As we quickly recovered, Tooth lets go so I can fly on my own again. I hastily flung my tail: landing the Berserker teen on the Fury's back.
"Thanks" I complimented as Toothless nodded, "I'll be careful next time."
"Relax, you're doing fine" my "brother" winked back.
"H-hey!? Little guy!?" Dagur protested, forced to sit up to hang on. He looked to Hiccup who smiled sheepishly in return.
Seeing the Skrill moving toward us from above, I shot a bolt at them before moving away to ascend. The teen Fury figured I was the bait and it made sense…I'm smaller and more vulnerable…I'm basically easy pickings for Alvin's beast.
Once I got to a high enough altitude I started my descent, initiating a dive bomb intended for the ascending Skrill. I narrowed my reptilian eyes as the winds screamed around me…soon they are drowned by my screams. My mouth started filling with green gas and I focused on my approaching target. It doesn't see me coming! I finally spit out my signature attack and the Skrill is struck on its side as it roared in pain. Alvin the Treacherous, in fact, almost fell off his mount.
I smiled as I passed by them for the others. I can see Tooth's excited look. Sadly, my dive bomb wasn't enough to incapacitate the Skrill (though I knew this would happen…I'm just trying to get it to keep chasing me.)
And so, I started diving again with the enraged Skrill right on my tail (and Toothless and the others following right behind.)
I hurriedly escaped, closing my wings to gain faster speed. I gasp in surprise as I narrowly dodge an electric zap from my enemy.
"Hang on, bud!" Hiccup yelled, squinting his eyes from the wind blowing into his face.
Alvin growled in annoyance, having enough of all this, "finish it 'ya blasted thing!"
His reptilian agent once again tried for another blast before Toothless roared in retaliation, "get away from my brother!" He used his attack, and a thought quickly crossed me: I remember when both he and the Skrill used both blasts and it created a shockwave…
And so, I quickly turned one-hundred and eighty degrees and fired my blast toward Tooth's own. As I expected, the Skrill dodged, and our attacks met. Being so close to the explosion stunned the Skrill and Alvin and Dagur took this chance to follow through. He jumps off Toothless to land on our enemy, yelling as he does so. Upon ending up on its back, Alvin brought out his sword and the two started fighting!
Both Outcast and Berserker parry and thrust to kill the other as we gather around them. Regrettably, Alvin managed to get Dagur in a chokehold. Toothless and I could only hover beside the frenzied Skrill, who is jolting back and forth from the two humans fighting on its scaly back.
A sudden jerk from the dragon caused the Outcast leader to yell back at them in frustration, "stop moving about, devil!" Despite the fact they had been "tamed" by Alvin and the Outcasts, the Skrill believes this human to be unworthy of its presence.
And so, he hunched his back and sent both humans off! Hiccup widened his eyes and gasped, tapping Toothless to dive down to save them. I went in to join the two for the rescue! We managed to get to Dagur, but Alvin…had fallen toward an iceberg. Fortunately, though unfortunately, he's still alive…but that doesn't mean that the shock of the impact incapacitated the man. Dagur the Deranged hangs from Tooth's razor-sharp talons while I, meanwhile, flew up to confront the freed Skrill.
I guess we didn't need to go with Hiccup's plan to use the water against this dragon, but we shouldn't rule that out just yet…
"Listen here…I sense your frustration…" I began by saying, "that human is now off of you, let us help you."
"Ha!" They scoffed loudly as I cringed at the sharpness of their reverb, "wwwhy would I lisssen to a runt…like youuu?" They asked with a snake-like timbre.
"You can talk!?" I asked, shocked (no pun intended…)
"Fooool…of courssse I can! Whyyy do you ssside with humansss?"
"They're not as bad as you think" I shrugged in midair.
"Yourrr loyalty to such creaturesss disturbsss me!"
Sure enough, once Dagur is on the Night Fury's back behind Hiccup, the trio joins me again and the Skrill gets anxious, deciding to fly away!
"Wait!" I shouted to them with a paw outward. Toothless thinks to himself, we can't just let them fly away! What if someone else imprisons them? Haddock, it turns out, voiced the same concern in his own head, "come on then, can't let it get away, Hiccup!" Dagur said before the boy finally nodded back.
Once he patted the Night Fury, the dragon sped toward their target as I followed…and the chase began again. It's not even ten seconds before we're right on the Skrill again. They try to lose us in an uninhabited island glacier as the storm begins to get worse around us. I can smell them…smell their fear. I saw their frightened eyes for a brief moment…how inside it was nothing but primal emotions erupting outward at us as if the Skrill didn't understand why all of this was happening.
The wild dragon enters a crevice, and we soon enter right behind them. Looking over to see us gaining on them again, they look up before charging up another electric attack. Sure enough, the attack strikes several stalagmites that are above us…and they start to fall.
"Watch out!" Dagur shouted as Toothless and I narrowly dodged the spiky obstacles!
"Perssissstant, aren't weee?" The Skrill hissed in dragon tongue. Tooth, flying beside me, had had enough: he unleashed a powerful purple fireball intended not for the foe itself but for a wall of stalagmites at the end of the tunnel.
Quickly and without error, the plasma caused the ceiling to drop down on the beast in front of us. The large spiky wall blocks the only exit the Strike-Class reptile had…it's only choice now is to face us…
Angered by our persistence, they start charging up again…not caring about the consequences…sheer will to survive took over them.
Toothless growls back, his ferocious green eyes focused heavily on the Skrill's blood-shot eyes. His mouth still glows, ready to retaliate when necessary. Before either can fire, I flew in to hover in between them. Both lizards (Hiccup and Dagur included) stopped and looked toward me with mixed expressions.
"Why should we fight…what does it achieve for anyone? We don't have to…" I warbled to the greyish dragon personally.
"Yourrr loyalty confusssesss and angersss me!"
"Give them a chance…it's all I ask…"
"I do not…wisssh to be a pettt…"
"Okay, enough…listen to my companion, or else we'll fry you where you stand!" Toothless stomped his front paw down with impatience.
"Toothless!" I turned around with a look of 'are you serious' but he just huffed smoke.
"Geez…it's like they're all having a conversation…" Dagur quipped.
"They are" Hiccup nodded to confirm this.
"We won't...on Berk…where we live, dragons and humans live together…as equals" I continued.
Toothless walked forward, giving a loud sigh…deciding to aid me in my attempts to pacify the air, "my brother here is on to something. If you go off on your own again, other humans may capture you…or worse. At least help us guide you to a safer place."
"And that's all we want…uh…Mr. Skrill…for you to be safe"
The dragon scoffed, not saying anything. Suddenly, they attacked, ultimately deciding not to trust us. They spit out a strong electrical current intended for me; however, Toothless moved in and returned the gesture with a blast that matched the Skrill.
Both (like all the other times) meet in the middle and the ensuing explosion rocks the inside of the corridor. We all look above…realizing the walls around us are beginning to collapse!
"Not good…" Hiccup quipped softly.
"Oh great…" Dagur growled under his breath.
"Time to go, guys!" The Viking shouted to Toothless and me.
To save ourselves, we rushed through the cavern at high speeds (with the feral Skrill following behind us.)
They had no choice: this cave has become a death trap and we could be trapped in here forever! We flew through to the exit, dodging stalagmites and falling rocks. Bright light welcomes us, the way out is SO CLOSE!
Of course, something had to happen…something ALWAYS happens…
The Strike-Class dragon following us was hit by a rather large rock and it fell to the ground. We all look back to see them in trouble. Dagur is especially concerned. We're close to the ground when the Berserker boldly jumped off the teen Night Fury and ran for the Skrill, "hold up, Hiccup!"
"Dagur!?" Hiccup, flabbergasted, looks back to see the other teen running back (all the while howling in excitement as if dying in this place didn't concern him at all…which it didn't.) They reached the reptile and managed to get the boulder trapping its wing. As the Berserker does, one very large portion of the ceiling came down…we couldn't believe what was about to happen. Our eyes widened as Haddock gave one loud cry to the duo across from us, "Get out of there, hurry!"
Dagur, realizing what is about to happen (and knowing it's too late) looks back at us with a reassuring look on his face, and soon after: he and the Skrill are cut off from us thanks to the ceiling collapsing in front of us! Hiccup panics, getting Toothless toward the debris to save them, "come on buds, we gotta get dig them out!"
Sure enough, the boy realizes it's a futile gesture, for Dagur and the wild dragon are on the other side with NO WAY for us to get to them. Not only that but if we don't leave now…we, ourselves, will get trapped!
I warble toward the duo and somehow, they know…they see my face…see the rocks still falling above us.
"Dang it!" Hiccup cursed before sighing and mounting his dragon...finally deciding to escape. He didn't want to leave them to die…neither did Toothless and me, but maybe we can figure something out once we're outside.
We'll come back for you, Dagur, Hiccup thought silently.
And so, we made it out before the rest of the tunnel behind us caved in completely. The three of us look behind to see the carnage we had made. The human looked on with dread.
We had no choice but to wait…before finally deciding on searching various parts of the island for the missing pair, but there was no sign of them. Plus, there's still a battle raging on Berk they had to end, and Alvin could be trying to retaliate (however unlikely that was…should we even go back for that man...after all he's done?)
Toothless was actually sad for the Berserker, as surprising as that sounded…even after everything the dragon was beginning to tolerate the strange human. As for me, it felt as though I somehow failed…failed Dagur. As much as I had wanted to mourn for the teen, there simply was no time to dwell on the issue for long.
And so…we left the vicinity to return to our home…our intentions to end the bloodshed once and for all is clear as day. Even as the fierce winds pushed us back and thunder roared above we pressed on.
…
By the time we had returned to our island home, the Berserker/Outcast forces were retreating…with Stoick and his people forcing the intruders back to their longboats.
Astrid and Stormfly (along with the rest of the gang) meanwhile managed to lead the Berkians toward a swift victory in the skies (which was unchallenged.)
Upon seeing us arrive, the blond-hair girl screamed with joy and excitement, "Hiccup!"
Toothless and I hovered across from the girl duo in the meantime. Haddock sighed softly, "looks like we won" he said.
"What did you expect, I KNEW we would win" Snotlout brazenly said before the other teens rolled their eyes.
"What happened up there, anyway?" Fishlegs inquired.
"Alvin had the Skrill…"
"Uh…I might have been distracted by all the lightning and awesome sword fighting but uh…wasn't Dagur with you?" Tuffnut asked with a dumb-like face.
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III could only look away, but the others soon understand. Sure enough, the air around us became silent.
Soon, though, Ruffnut is the first to speak, "that's a bummer, I was starting to like having him around…he could have replaced Tuff over here…"
"Hey!"
Snotlout was about to shut them up; however, Hiccup stopped them, "he went to save the Skrill…they're trapped inside a glacier…I dunno if they made it out or not…"
"So…he might still be out there…" Astrid raised an eyebrow as Stormfly squawked as an add-on.
"And he has the Skrill now with him…who knows what he'll do with them!"
"Neat…" Tuff said before his sister elbowed him.
"We ought to try and look for him together" Haddock nodded to himself, but Hofferson stopped him, "we can do that later, Hiccup…look around you: we should help the village clean up first…"
Hiccup sighed softly in response once Toothless and I landed to join the others on the ground. I decided to lay flat on my belly to rest…today was a hard day for sure…so much happened.
The Viking boy said softly, "yeah…you're right, let's see what my father needs done."
And so, with the last of the armies leaving for the ocean, Stoick and the Berkians went to clean up in the aftermath of the battle. Quite a few houses were damaged beyond repair and some Vikings were wounded. In all honesty: no one really won this fight. Alvin had been defeated but Mildew (who, unknown to the group, found Fungus and ran away with them) and the others escaped.
We went searching for Dagur with the others the day after…even excavating what we could with the help of dragons from Dragon Island. Unfortunately, nothing was found…Dagur and the Skrill were still missing…perhaps forever?
Somehow, I didn't believe that…knowing Dagur for a little amount of time, he doesn't seem like the kind to give up so easily…
So that begs the question: if he's still out there in the archipelago…will he use the Skrill for his own benefit? Will he try to exact revenge on his enemies and on Berk? Maybe this was all a mistake on my part…
What if I'm just overexaggerating, though? Maybe Dagur did change…somehow I felt it…
Still…the negative thoughts plagued my mind…maybe not only did I unleash a monster, but maybe my past actions with Dagur could have dire consequences for the future of Berk and Dragon Island?
Maybe…I doomed us all…
…
Phew! That was quite a long chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it. It took some time to write this one (what with all the busyness at work and the holidays.)
It's crazy, I started writing this story in January 2022 (it's almost the 1-year anniversary actually!) and in one year I basically wrote something equivalent to a novel (200 pages) with 37 chapters! That's A LOT of hard work on my part, heh. I wrote this story on a train, at Barnes n Noble and on vacation (yeah, seriously.) That's a lot of dedication and passion for something like this, but I do enjoy writing this story.
I should (in theory) go back to a regular schedule after March, but we'll see how the year goes. If anything, Brothers might end up as a monthly upload from now on (I'm not sure yet depending on how busy everything is at work.)
Either way, I'll see you all in the next update, peace!
