Chapter 69

It's been five days since I got back to Dunbroch and those days have been nothing but busy for me with everything that's been going on. The day I got back Merlin was the one to explain how I was taken from the castle and why I was taken but shortly after that we had to wait till he came to after my Aunt Elinor knocked him out with a single punch to the face for kidnapping us and making her and Uncle Fergus along with my cousins worry so much. It turns out after I vanished they asked all the clans for help in searching for us and they were ready to search all of Scotland for us and some dark magic user. Took us an hour to calm her down but when she did she made Merlin understand that if he ever kidnapped me again then he'd be in for a whole lot of pain. He understood this and told me that there was nothing more vicious than an angry woman and to keep it in mind when I decided to get a girlfriend. This earned him one last slap from my aunt before he returned to Camelot. After that I had to deal with the people asking me what happened in Camelot, what kind of people I met, what beasts I dealt with but it was after this question people took notice of my arm and that raised more than a few questions.

Speaking of my new arm I had made a few discoveries like how the hand could be launched out at highspeed and with it tethered to a chain connected at the back of it making I can't lose it. (AN: Think of Mr winks from 'Hell boy 2) Unfortunately, when I first learned this I ended up accidently hitting lord MacGuffin as he was walking into the throne room and broke four of his ribs while he was pushed back into Martin who was crushed by the larger man's weight. I later found out the chain could go up to twenty-five feet and I could still control the hand while also using this ability to use the arm as a grappling hook. I tried it on the castle walls by launching my hand up to them before getting a good grip and was able to pull myself up to the top as if it were nothing. The engraving of the tree of life could lift up before four sharp blades come out from underneath the seal and then begin to spin rapidly. I knew this would come in handy for when I was tied up from behind, especially when I learnt these blades could cut through metal chains. Then there's its ability to store my god made weapons inside of it which is an ability I learnt works with all of my god made weapons. When it came to storing my spirit bow the two folded inwards before going under my forearm like my starsword and crystal spear except I could only store up to three arrows outside in the upper arm so if I wanted more I'd need my quiver. My Scimitar throwing knives however went into my upper arm and when I wanted them out the gold plating would lift before the handles are pushed out.

Then there's the crystals that I was finally able to figure out how to use and I had to say what they could do was pretty impressive and was definitely going to come in handy in the future. It took me all day to figure out though and I had to have Toothless help me out when it came to examining them. I figured they might react to the heat of his plasma blast and I was correct in my assumption but they did not react the way I thought it would. The crystal actually absorbed the blast into itself and was able to absorb his maximum shot limit of six before it turned from emerald green to purple and wouldn't absorb anymore.

After I made this discovery I picked up the crystal which was surprisingly still cool to the touch before I began examining the palm sized crystal that was shaped like a flower bulb in order to try and figure out how to harness the power now within it. It was as I walked into the throne room that Merida asked what was wrong with the Toothless seal on the side of my shoulder since it was glowing lightly. I figured it had something to do with the stone so I held the stone to the symbol that had begun slowly twisting as it came apart to make an opening as the crystal got closer. (AN: I'm not sure how to describe it but look up 'A series of unfortunate events' and see Aunt Josephine's windows shield because that's how the mark opens.) When the stone was right next to the symbol small metallic tentacles came out and pulled it in before the opening closed back up as I somehow sensed the crystal inside it. At first I didn't know what this meant and first figured it was a way to power the prosthetic since the seal of the tree of life on the back of my hand glowed purple as did the openings in the arm. However I later learned that it wasn't a way to power my prosthetic but a way to store the plasma blasts so I could use them to heat up my prosthetic hand making one very hot punch that would allow me to burn a hole in wooden things or set them ablaze. However, learning how to do this did take some practice to get used to it but by the end of the day I knew how to fire them easily and three crystals had been crushed.

After that day I began experimenting with the crystals and learnt they could also absorb Scauldrens water blasts and my arm could hold five of them at once. When it came to the Scauldren blasts though when it was full it changed to aqua green as did the light coming from my arm. After this I learnt I could release the water while pressurising it and forming a blade. I figured I could use it to slice through shields and swords in the future while it would also be a good way to intimidate my enemies when I capture them and try to escape. I was looking forward to running some more tests with my other dragons when I got home since I felt my new arm could do more but the one thing I know for sure is that how the crystals work are all based on my intentions.

Finally, there's my new spear which I had to say was one powerful weapon for combat at a distance with the abilities it possesses. I learnt when I swing it hard the staff can extend to strike more opponents and that was just with the bladed side. The crystal side was pretty powerful since when I accidentally swiped it across the ground more crystals grew towards the direction it was swung and as I later learned, the deeper it imbedded into the earth the bigger the crystals would be. This also happened but a lot faster when I slammed it into the ground facing a direction. Also when I stabbed the crystal right into the ground, crystals would burst out of the ground surrounding me which would come in handy for when I'm surrounded. However when these crystals burst out of the ground they only lasted a few seconds before sinking back into the ground and putting it back to the way it was making it look as if they were never there unless I held the crystal head in the ground then they'd continue to grow in whatever direction I scraped it in. I had a feeling that the spear like my prosthetic arm could do more but I'd discover the other abilities another time when I'm back at home on my own island with my dragons and animals.

I still had to face one major problem when I got back to Berk and that was explaining to my father what happened to my arm. I knew he wouldn't like it but there was nothing he could do since he really didn't have that much power over me since I had my own house on my own island. True he sometimes forgets this but he's my father so it's bound to happen but it was never anything I couldn't handle since he mostly just told me to check in more often and not to go on any trips for some time. I was always happy to accommodate his requests since those were things I always intended to do so it was never a big deal. Now however my ship was loaded with supplies, my old arm, my lance, the remaining crystals and my destroyed armour while I stood in front of it wearing my boating armour. My Aunt Elinor, Uncle Fergus, my cousins along with the three lords and their heirs had come by to see me off. My Uncle Fergus walked up to me and put a hand on my left shoulder as he said.

"It's been nice having you here lad and I'm glad you came when you did since if you didn't we'd probably be starving to death because of that nuckelavee."

"It was good being here uncle Fergus but next time I'd like a vacation where I don't have to fight anything to save people." He chuckled.

"At least that got you some attention from the ladies."

"Yeah but it also cost me peace and quiet outside of my room." He chuckled.

"Such is the price of being a hero and ladies man." He chuckled but then let out a yelp as my aunt pulled him away from the ear as I smiled before she turned to me and said.

"It's been a pleasure having you Hiccup and know that you're always welcome back here whenever you want."

"I'll remember that in the future aunt Elinor but for now I'm looking forward to getting home and just enjoying some down time." She smiled at me.

"After all you've been through I'd say you deserve it but don't think we're sending you off without some gifts." She gestured one of the castle servants holding a large roll of fabric. "Merida and I began making this tapestry shortly after you won the highland games as a congratulatory prize." I smiled at them and thanked them before the lords walked forward as lord Macintosh said.

"You know lad our offers still stand if you ever consider selling any of those beasts of yours." I raised an eyebrow.

"For the last time your lordships, my dragons are not for sale and never will be." They just chuckled as lord Dingwall said.

"Never say never." I turned to him before I raised my golden fist.

"How would you like to see how lord MacGuffin felt when I accidently broke his ribs." I saw his eyes widen at this.

"No thanks I'm good." I smiled before I gave a hug to my aunt, uncle and cousins before I boarded my ship and we were off to Ireland so I could set up a portal door there.

2 days later

I was flying over the lush green hills of the emerald Isle heading straight for the village where I had stayed when I was last here in Ireland. When the village came into view I smiled at the sight knowing I would be able to see some of my friends but I hoped that this simple stop would not result in some kind of big fight between me and some powerful evil creature. I admit I wouldn't mind seeing Rooney again but he's the only mystic creature I wanted to see. I just hoped this stop off would be a nice peaceful one with no fighting, no monsters, no bandits, etc. The only pests I'd be willing to put up with are the children who'd just want to hear about my latest adventures and I knew with my golden arm it would without a doubt bring many questions to the minds of the people and I doubt many of them would be able to hold back their questions. It was then the small cottage I had stayed in came into view as I smiled before I had Toothless come in for a landing. As expected after we landed we were surrounded by people all asking me what I was doing back in the village so soon. Connor and Seamus then came up and began making the crowd back off a bit as they smiled at me before Connor said.

"It's good to see you Hiccup but what brings you back to our little village so soon?"

"I'm just here to open up a portal door and spend the night before I head back to Berk." He smiled and nodded.

"Fight any beasties while in Scotland?"

"A few before a wizard abducted me and took me to Camelot." They stared at me for a moment before they both asked.

"What?"

"Long story!" Seamus then asked.

"Well was it this wizard that gave your armour that new golden arm plating?" I looked down at my prosthetic completely forgetting that I had left it uncovered before I sighed and turned to Seamus.

"It's not a piece of armour Seamus." I held it up in front of my face. "It's a prosthetic I got from the gods after I was forced to cut off my own arm to avoid death by rotting because of a witch using a blade made from black magic." Everyone stared at me for a moment before they all burst out laughing.

"Good one lad, you really had us going for a minute there." I sighed seeing they didn't believe me. "Alright now if you don't mind I'd like the chance to examine that gold plating some time."

I knew there was only one way to show them that I wasn't joking about the arm being a prosthetic but I didn't like it nor did I like the attention this would bring. Still though I knew it had to be done despite the large amount of problems it would bring for me in this village. I got off Toothless as everyone stared at me before I removed the armour on my torso leaving me bare chested and also showing the prosthetic was actually not a piece of armour. When they all saw this they stopped laughing and stared at the arm for a few moments before turning back to my face but some of the girls were staring at my chest and stomach. I looked around before my eyes landed on Seamus as I asked.

"Now do you believe me?" He just nodded.

"I'm sorry I doubted you lad but how did this happen?" I just shrugged as I put my armour back on.

"Like I said before it's a long story but I'll be fine with telling it on the hills where I normally tell the stories of my adventures." He nodded before I walked through the crowd to the place in the emerald green hills where I would often lay down and tell the tales.

3 hours later

I was now in the green fields alone with just Toothless who had fallen asleep and I couldn't blame him since we'd spent over two hours telling the stories of what happened to me after I left Ireland, answering questions and dealing with my fans. Eventually Connor was able to get them to leave me alone but before he left he told me I should enjoy some time to just relax and find someone to begin a relationship with. This got me thinking about maybe actually finding myself a girlfriend to at least practice my dating skills since I know I wanted to find myself a nice girl to settle down with someday. Still though this did bring up questions like would my future wife be a foreign girl or a local girl from Berk. I know I wasn't in any shortage of girls who were interested in me but it was just hard to find a girl that I was interested in. I figured I should at least maybe give some of the girls who were interested in me a chance before I just pushed or avoided their attempts. I figured I still had a lot of time to consider all this since it's a long way back to Berk and even then I still needed to sort everything out after my latest trip.

I looked at my new arm and decided it best to hide it from my dad until he was at his most relaxed point. Sitting at the table with his friends while enjoying yak butter parfait and freshly baked bread with a side of ham for dinner. I made a mental note to make sure to bake some fresh bread and talk to the cooks about making my dad some yak butter parfait before I tell him anything. The last thing I wanted was to get my dad on a yelling frenzy that would last till day break and by the end my ears will be ringing but if it got to that point I could always return to my island and stay off Berk for a few weeks so my dad could calm down. Still though I wasn't that worried since that's the worst he could do to me these days and I have faced far worse in the past. For now though I was just grateful for a little peace and quiet to enjoy my day.

Morning

I was back on my ship sailing off to Berk after saying goodbye to everyone in the village and promising them that with my portal door set up on a large standing stone outside the village they would be seeing a me around for the occasional visit. I'll never forget the look on Rooney's face though when he first saw my arm made of leprechaun gold. I thought his eyes were literally going to pop out of his head before he forced me to sit down and tell him everything about it along with what happened while I was away. Long story short we ended up enjoying a few drinks and talking late into the night before I went to bed.

I looked out at the ocean before the shine from my arm caught my attention. I lifted it up and stared at it for a few seconds before I looked up at the upper part and saw the engravings that signified my blessings from the gods of the other lands. I admit this arm was nice but I still missed my old arm but I suppose that's something everyone who's lost a limb feels. I shook my head knowing I have to get over it but if what Gobber told me from when I was a child were true then I would never get over it and just get used to it. I shook my head knowing I had to stop thinking about this for now since I couldn't change the past and should just focus on my future like how I'm going to explain this to my dad and what I'm going to do next. I sighed and decided I might as well take stock of the souvenirs from this trip I've got down in my storage hold.

I walked through my storage hold stopping to check out some of the things I had gotten from this trip and I had to say some of these things brought smiles to my faces as I remembered the celebrations some of the people threw me after I defeated the things that were terrorizing their village. I then went into my room before my eyes were drawn to my side table and resting on top of it was a small wolf statue that was given to me after I freed Connor from the curse of the werewolf while above that was Siren's necklace that was hanging on the wall from a nail. I felt a tear run down my cheek at the memory of Siren since I felt sorry for her because she was forced to go through so much pain. I shook my head remembering that she redeemed herself and was now in a happier place with her family. I looked above my bed and hanging on the wall was the shield with the insignia of Camelot on it. I frowned and subconsciously rubbed my prosthetic arm before I remembered that this is why I stored my real arm in one of the crates back in the hold. I shook my head at the memories before hopping onto the bed for a nice long nap.

One week later

I was using my eagle eye to look at my island in the distance as a smile graced my face at the thought of finally being home again. I had to resist the urge to just jump into the water and swim the rest of the way but I knew I still needed to unload my stuff. I looked back on the past week on the ship and the things I had both learned and decided. I had decided that this was going to be my last trip to any new places since every time I go somewhere new something tries to kill me and this time it cost me my right arm. For now, I'll just travel to some of the nearby islands, visit some of our allies; visit some of the places I've already been to in order to visit some of my old friends. Also spend some time on my own island to just relax draw up some designs for some new inventions since it's been a while, explore my new island section, study my new spear and experiment with the crystals some more. Experimenting with the crystals is one of the things I was looking forward to when I got home since I was very curious about what they could do and I wanted to experiment with them a bit more but not sink my ship while experimenting. I was looking forward to it all when I got back home.

1 hour later

I was now making my way to the statue of Toothless at the volcano with the island crystal in my hand as I smiled. As expected both my animals and dragons eagerly greeted us when we got home except for Maya because she now had a very large belly showing that she was due to birth her cubs any day now. I was glad I made it back before they were born since I wanted to be there for both her and the cubs. I did get a few sniffs and looks of concern when it came to my new arm but that was to be expected from them and a few gentle rubs on the heads followed by some scratching and assurances that I was alright was enough to calm them down. I just hoped my dad would take it as well as they did. I laughed to myself at the thought that my dad would take this calmly since when it came to my past adventures he never took anything easy. Chances are he'd throw a fit so it best I go with my idea of telling him when he is at his calmest when dinnertime came and in the meantime, I'd be able to start testing how the crystals reacted to my other dragons blasts. First, I had to add on my new island section and see if I could grow more of the crystals like I was told I could so I wouldn't run out of crystals to test out.

It was then I arrived at the statue of Toothless that had begun opening its mouth as the crystal began pulling towards it. I went through the motions before I ran to see my new piece of land rise from the ocean and I had to say the way the sun shined on those green hills was so beautiful that it brought a tear to my eye. I then heard a croon in front of me and looked down to see Toothless walking up the path as I smiled and said.

"Let's go explore the new island section bud." He growled and nodded before I mounted him and we took off.

Nightfall

My new island section is absolutely incredible with such wide and open green fields that my wolves took to like fish to water, as did my dragons. They all loved the wide-open spaces to run around and play in and I couldn't blame them since I spent most of my day lounging around in the fields with my Snowflake, Snowbell and Hazel cuddling up to me which I took as a sign that they were happy to have me back. Besides the green fields the new section did have a few other things that were of great interest to me. One of the things of interest was the giant statue of a bald man holding up the ground that was built into the cliffs. It was easily the size of the Red death and I had a feeling that he was the island guardian I was told about. I spent some time studying it and I had to say it was an amazing piece of work. Along with that there was also a cave that had five green crystal pillars that were stood up on either side of the entrance so they lead right to the entrance of the cave. What was surprising though was that it was a trail of wisps that lead me to it showing that I had my own little friends who inhabited this section of island like the dust bandits in my Indian desert. When I walked in I found it to be a normal cave with nothing special about it until I saw a slot in the ground. I figured my crystal spear might have something to do with it so I released it from my arm and stabbed the crystal piece into the slot. When I did this however the spear wouldn't come out as it began shaking while the crystals began glowing. Next thing I knew the floor began bursting with green crystals followed by the walls quickly following the floors.

Soon the inside of the cave looked like the inside of a green geode with a smooth emerald path leading to a circular smooth clearing in which I was standing in the middle of. As I looked around ten crystal spikes burst out of the ground around me before the tops grew larger making them resemble flower that had yet to bloom. They then opened up like flowers that were blooming to reveal the crystals I put into my arm as their bulbs. I gently touched one of the bulbs and much to my surprise it just dropped into my hand as if nothing were holding it. When I pulled it back to my body the crystal flower closed up and began to gently glow which I assume was a sign that it's creating a new crystal bulb. All in all, the cave was absolutely amazing and the flowers were one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen. I could see myself walking in there from time to time just to enjoy the beauty they held rather than just pick up new crystals.

Besides that, I had also spent my day unloading everything from my ship and putting them in their proper places. The giant club of the fachan was now hung from the ceiling with chains holding it up. The comb of the banshee I defeated was now on a small pedestal with a height that reached above my waist in height and was held up by a small stand behind it. Rolled up in a display case next to it was the bone whip of the rogue Dullahan I had defeated and sent back to the underworld while hanging next to it on the wall was the spear of the Nuckelavee standing straight with the head looking up. The bridle of the kelpie had its own white marble pedestal that reached just above my waist in height. Then there was my destroyed armor from my battle with Morgan le Fay that was not too far away display behind a glass case while it stood on a foot-tall pedestal and being held up by an armor stand. Sitting on a marble pedestal behind a glass case in front of the armor was my right arm still encased in the crystal Merlin put it in. Hanging on the wall across from it was the shield with the insignia of Camelot on it with the smashed lance hanging underneath it. As for the tapestry my Aunt Elinor and Cousin Merida gave me it hung proudly on the back wall and I could now see the image was of me with my sword in front of me, Toothless behind me with his wings spread and my scauldrens coming from behind his wings and spraying their water blasts.

Something else did happen though when I was taking the treasures down to the vault and took got my stone of good fortune to unlock the stairway down to the vault. I put it in the palm of my prosthetic hand the palm opened up and pulled it in before it seemed to fuse with it. I tried to do something but it was burning hot so I couldn't touch it until it was done and when it was then my stone had been pulled underneath the palm. I wanted it out and then it my palm opened up and pushed the stone out except it seemed to be merged to my prosthetic now. I could also have the blades come out and make the entire thing rotate by wanting it so I had no problem using it as the key and figured it would come in helpful since it means I'd be the only one who'd be able to use the key now. There was also how now when I use the purple crystals it became heated so high that I could use it to brand anything with it leaving a Toothless shaped brand on it. I knew I could use this to mark my work, help mark my trails, brand my livestock and intimidate my enemies with the threat of branding them. I knew I couldn't use it to cut through things as quickly as the rotating blades under the seal of 'The Tree of Life' that was on top of my hand since the blades rotated slowly and were not as strong.

Other than that, I had spent the majority of my day with my dragons and experimenting with the crystals forming a list of things that happened with their blasts and the crystals. I learnt a lot of things from these including how they're able to absorb speed stinger venom, which was a major surprise. I knew that I'd have to make a special holder for the crystals when I'm on missions to hold each of them since each had a different ability's depending on what stone I put in and which of my dragons charged it. I had run multiple tests on the different crystal types and divided them by their color since that was how I was able to tell the difference between each of them, which allowed me to make a list that read.

Purple Crystals

Charged by Toothless' plasma blasts

Arm abilities: Heat palm to burn through wooden things and heat up stone of good fortune to use as a brand

Aqua green crystals

Charged by water blasting dragons

Arm abilities: Compresses water into shape of blade to cut through shields and weapons

Blue crystals

Charged by electrical dragons like skrills or sea shockers

Arm abilities: electrifying arm to shock all those it comes in contact with

Red crystals

Charged by fire breathers

Arm abilities: Ignites fore arm or heats up arm to point of being able to melt metal down when in hand.

Orange crystals

Charged by lava blasters like gronkles

Arm abilities: Leak out lava from palm or fist to form a powerful punch for doors or shields.

Light green crystals

Charged by Acid blasters

Arm abilities: Leak out acid to melt through things such as chains or prison bars

Light blue crystals

Charged by cold blasting dragons

Arm abilities: Gives ability to freeze things with single touch.

Mist white Crystals

Charged by air blasting dragons

Arm abilities: Uses wind to blow fist forward in punches or when launched making strike more powerful

The really impressive thing about the power though was that it never hurt me no matter what I did and I'm including if I touched it when the red crystal was being used to fully ignite it. When I did that the flames didn't even feel warm and they didn't leave a mark on my hand when I figured there'd at least be a small burn mark. All in all, I had to say this prosthetic would come in very handy for close combat and in a way it's kind of reminded me of my spirit arrows but those were meant for long range attacks. Still though I was looking forward to trying it out on some actual opponents, which I'm pretty sure I was going to have on Berk since a lot of people are going to want to see what it can do. Still though the toughest part was going to be explaining all of this to my dad who is going to want to have a long talk with me about this if my plan to talk to him when he's most relaxed doesn't work.

I was now standing on a cliff looking down at my golden arm for a few seconds before I sighed and put a glove over it leaving my entire prosthetic completely covered. When it came to showing my dad what it could do I when it came to the crystals I decided to go with the purple, blue, red, light green and light blue crystals that were now loaded into my arm. Along with the crystals I also loaded all my weapons from the gods since I wanted him to also see it's other capabilities so he'll hopefully be less angered and more impressed with what it can do. I looked up at the sky and saw night had fallen over the islands and knew now would be the best time to go and see how Berk was doing. I turned back to Toothless who was lying behind me and said.

"Let's go bud!" He growled as I mounted him and we took off.

When we flew over Berk I knew there was something wrong since the village was pretty much abandoned with nobody around and I'm including in the watchtowers where there was always someone posted. I didn't like this one bit so I kept my guard up while having Toothless remain high where nobody would be able to see us. I used my eagle eye to try and get a better look at things but still didn't see anyone in the village. I didn't like the look of this one bit so I decided to investigate and had Toothless take us down to the forest where we wouldn't be seen since there could still be trouble. When we landed I put Toothless' tail on automatic before I looked him in the eyes as he crooned in concern. I patted his nose and smiled at him as I said.

"Don't worry bud, if I run into some trouble I'll use my dragon call."

Once he took off into the sky I decided to check out the Great hall first since everyone might be celebrating something. I began walking towards the Great hall but before I could reach it I felt a sting on the side of my neck before my body went numb and I fell to the ground unable to move anything but my neck and even then, I was bar. I looked up as a group of five men walked out smiling down at me and it was at this point I knew I was in major trouble. One looked up at the others and said.

"Get the armor off this one and then chuck him into the cell with the blacksmith." They all chuckled and stripped me of my armor leaving me in just my red shirt and brown pants. "I'll go inform Snorre about the newest arrival."

I felt them pick me up and carry me away but as they did I realized I could still move my prosthetic arm meaning I could still fight a bit. I decided against it though since that was the only limb I could move and I'd be able to move again after I recovered. Also, they were taking me to my dad I'd be able to get some answers on what's going on. After that I'd be able to figure out a plan on how to deal with these guys. When I saw Toothless above us though I was quick to use a hand to signal him not to do anything since the last thing I wanted was to alert these men that he was around. I could see he hesitated before I signaled him that I'd be fine and to wait for my call. After that he took off into the skies blending into the point where I was only able to see him if I used my Eagle eye. As they carried me away though all I could do was wonder what type of mess I had gotten myself into this time.

AN: Hey all I hope you enjoyed the chapter and like what Hiccups arm can do and rest assured it will make some appearances with its abilities in the future. Also, I received a review telling me I was recycling old enemies and repeating myself. This got me thinking and after going through the story I realize he's right and that I have been repeating myself a bit with Hiccup travelling to new lands, saving the day and receiving a gift from the gods then going home. I've been stuck in a rut so for the next few chapters Hiccups not going to be fighting anything supernatural or going to any new places but he will be visiting some of the old places and fighting some normal human opponents. Maybe I'll do some chapters that just show him dealing with Berk, some of his old foreign friends and travelling to some of the closer places like a few of Berks allies. Until then I will see you and please review kindly.