Chapter 202
Hiccups POV:
It's been four days since I arrived in Alfheim and in that time not a lot has happened other than me meeting the god Freyr and letting him know I was back in Alfheim to find and train a stealth fury. He wished me luck in my search and told me he was sorry that he couldn't tell me where I might be able to find one but even, he hasn't seen one since they hide the moment they hear people approaching the area. It wasn't all that bad though since I was able to explore Alfheim a bit more and I was impressed with how they were able to turn trees into buildings without harming the trees. One of the most amazing things though was how they were able to make some trees grow into bowl like structure, they were grown to collect rainwater with a complex root like system under the base which distributes the collected water to homes, farms, gardens and such.
Earlier today I was in the marketplace of Alfheim which sold mostly fruits, vegetables and the occasional farming tools and spoke with one of the stall managers who claimed he was hoping to close up early due to some issues in his families watering hole. I offered to check out what the blockage was since I'd been wanting to get a better look at these trees and examine how they worked from the inside. He was grateful for this claiming he'd checked every root in the tree but saw nothing that would cause any problems with the water flow, so it confused him. This brings us to now with me standing in one of the watering holes trees with me walking around examining the roots which seemed fine with not troubles.
Presently I'm at the top of the tree examining the water bowl where all the rainwater was gathered but I'm not seeing anything wrong with it, so it made no sense that there'd be no water coming through. It was then I heard something from beneath the bowl and I quickly kneeled beneath the bowl to see what was happening and much to my surprise I still saw nothing other than roots. I looked around not seeing anything until I decided I might be able to see what was happening if I stopped looking with my real eye and checked with the eye of the dragon. My eyes widened with what I saw since using the eye of the dragon I saw there was a dragon that seemed a little thin, stuck between two large roots that were coming down from the bowl.
I smiled and slowly crawled into the roots towards it but the second it saw me it tried to pull itself deeper into the roots so I stopped moving to try and help it calm down since it getting deeper into the roots wouldn't help. A few seconds later it stopped struggling and just looked at me in fear and I knew that wasn't going to help me get it out of the roots since before I could approach it, I needed to calm it down. I reached into my coat as my spiderpack and pulled out my calming flute with a little difficulty since it was cramped with all the roots surrounding me. Despite the cramped space I was able to bring my flute to my lips and play a bit of a gentle tune on it that echoed through the roots and filling the tree with the sound of the music. Despite this I never let my eyes leave the dragon since I wasn't aware of what kind of dragon this was and how it would react to my music but so far it seemed to calm down enough.
Seeing this I slowly made my way towards it with difficulty as I continued to play my flute to make sure the dragon remained calm so I could get close enough to it. When I was only four feet away from the dragon I smiled as I stopped playing my flute and put it away while doing my best to keep eye contact with the dragon. I could see the dragon was still afraid of me but it wasn't as bad as before, so I was able to get a little closer to it without it trying to back up from me. I sighed in relief hoping this meant I'd be able to get it out of here so the water could start flowing to where it was needed again while the dragon would be free again. I gave the dragon a gentle smile before I said.
"Easy now, I just want to get you out of here, but you'll have to trust me."
The dragon just stared at me for a moment and nodded as I switched my prosthetic to its plant form and grabbed one of the roots before concentrating while letting it sink into the roots giving me control of them. I extended my control to the ones around the dragon and when I did I knew why the water was being blocked as it turns out, the dragons' tail was pressing against one of the main roots, bending it and stopping the water from getting through. I increased my control over the two roots that had trapped the dragon and forced them to spread apart a bit more, allowing the dragon to get out of the roots and the second it was able to move it quickly took off, out of the roots. I smiled and let go of the root before I made my way out of the roots and saw the dragon waiting for me out of the roots but when it saw me much to my surprise it began to grow a bit. I realized it was like a cavern crasher and had the ability to collapse its bones so it was a lot thinner than I originally thought but when it realigned its bones to the right size I saw it had the body shape of a nightfury. Then there were how its scales moved and shifted around allowing me to see that this was the very dragon I was looking for; this dragon is a stealth fury.
It had a body like that of a night Fury but was slimmer with a thin frill on its back and it also had a scale pattern that's brown with green highlights so it could blend in forested surroundings. The ear flaps looked like the leaf shapes that are on a change Wings antenna, so it looked like us shape of a pointy oval in a way. Its eyes are a light acid green which gave them a unique glow in the dark like a cat's eyes when light is shined right into them when they're in the dark. The stealth fury lowered its head while keeping its eyes on me as I smiled and kneeled as I said.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you now that you're out of the roots." I slowly approached it while reaching out my had with the back of it facing the ground. "I just want to be your friend." I slowly came within arm's length I held out my hand and looked away and for a few tense seconds I felt nothing and began to worry I'd scared it off until I felt something press against my hand and slowly turned my head to see the stealth fury pressing its muzzle against my hand and I smiled before pulling it away. "Let's get you out of here and into the light." The stealth fury looked down shyly, but I just placed my hand on its head. "Don't worry, I'll be right beside you the entire time." With that said I slowly walked it out of the tree to greet the sun.
3 days later
It's been three days since I first found the stealth fury that time has been spent getting to know the dragon which I now knew to be a female of its species. I'd given her the name Yamanu which is Egyptian meaning 'hidden one' and since her species are known to hide themselves in nature and away from people so the name fits her. She'd been a pretty friendly and outgoing around me but whenever she was around other people she retreats into her shell and hides behind me which I had to admit was adorable. Now I was sitting at the gazebo with Freyr sitting across from me and Yamanu laying down next to me with her head resting on my lap as I gently stroked her head as I looked down at the compass on the table wondering how it'd allow me to travel to the next realm. Freyr took a sip of drink as he smiled and said. (AN: If you're having trouble picturing the compass, look it up on my pinterest page.)
"I have spoken to lord Odin and discovered that he if you wish to truly unlock its ability to travel through the realms than you must use it to complete your ship." I raised an eyebrow.
"Complete my ship?" He shrugged.
"You might be able to find the answer if you release your ship and bring it on board." I nodded.
"That might work but where can I release it?"
"There is a lake nearby and you can set it up there." I nodded.
"Let's do it." I gently pushed Yamanu's head off my lap and stood up. "Sorry girl, we've got some things we need to take care of." She just crooned as I made my way out of the gazebo next to Freyr while Yamanu followed behind us.
10 minutes later
My ship was now set up in the lake and I was walking around my ship with my compass now in hand which was surprisingly pulling me somewhere on my ship. Yamanu remained at my side while Freyr remained on the land simply watching what was happening on my ship before I was pulled into the ships map room by the compass. I was pulled to the front of the crystal map before much to my surprise a small trap door was opened, and a pedestal made from the same crystal as the map rose up from it reached two feet above the map in height. Before I could react, the compass flew from my hand and onto the pedestal before it sunk right into the crystal as if it were burning with such heat that it could melt the crystal. When it had been fully imbedded into the crystal the compass glowed brightly before the shine went down the pedestal and into the map that shone so bright, I couldn't see for a second before a giant model of a tree formed.
The thing about this tree though is it had nine branches, each holding a single orb that had a glowing green flame within them except for one wasn't glowing but just a clear orb on the branch. It was then I looked deeper into the glowing orbs and saw the symbol for each of the realms in each orb except I didn't see the ones for Elfheim. I realized these were the various realms I could still go to but I was surprised that Asgard was one of the places before I shrugged thinking I should save that one for last since when I'm done I could enjoy a good drink in the halls of Valhalla with my ancestors. I looked over the various realms before I looked down at the compass and saw the names of each of the realms on the rims of it in the order of Elfheim, Muspelheim, Jotunheimr, Niflheim, Hel, Niðavellir, Vanaheim and then ending with Valhalla. I could see the needle with the ring at the end was currently on Elfheim with the name that was engraved in stone pushed out of line of the other realms and into the circle. I was brought out of my thoughts by a voice saying.
"Impressive." I jumped in surprise and turned to see Freyr standing across the table while examining the tree. "The Dwarves were pretty clever to design this ship so it can take in additions like this map on its own." I nodded.
"They were smart to make the ship this way, but it doesn't tell me how to use this compass to get to one of the other realms." Freyr walked around the table and examined the compass.
"This compass is a fine but complicated piece of work." I nodded in agreement as I looked back to the compass. "Fortunately, it seems simple to use." I turned to him.
"You know how to use it?"
"I think I might have an idea." He gestured to the compass. "You see how the ring with the needle is currently pointing at Elfheim?" I nodded. "Maybe you just need to twist the stone edging so the circle will be on another realms name and you shall be able to crossover to the realm." I nodded.
"That might be the case, but we won't know until I'm able to test it."
"If that is how you feel then please test it only after I have left your ship." I smiled and nodded before escorting him out.
10 minutes later
I'd finished saying goodbye to everyone I'd befriended in Alfheim and was now back on my ship in front of the compass turning the stone edge with the realm names on it so the name Muspelheim took the place Alfheim was but the name didn't immediately pop out. It slowly began to push out as my ship began moving forward and I ran out to see what was happening just in time to see what looked like a large portal full of stars open in front of my ship. My ship went through the portal and when I looked around all I saw was and endless sea of stars and when I looked down over the railing I saw my reflection looking back at me as if I were looking into a mirror. I was guessing this was the space between realms and when I looked ahead, I could see eight giant burning stars and could tell these were the other realms and the one my ship was heading towards was crimson red.
I took a breath knowing this flame that I was going towards was Muspelheim, home of the fire giants and I'm pretty sure they're holding a grudge against me after I took down Surtr and ruined their plans. (AN: That adventure begins in chapter 164 guys.) I knew they'd most likely know all about me since word travels fast in the nine realms and it is because of this they'll know who I am and more than likely hate was this led me to I highly doubt they'd just let me walk in and do what I wanted without trying to murder me first and make it as painful as possible for me. Because of this I knew I'd need to keep my guard up and be ready to kill any fire giant I come across since if one of them gets away, chances are it'll alert the others and I'll have an army of fire giants after me.
It was then my ship entered the flame and then there was a bright light that forced me to cover my eyes before I felt an intense heat hit me which was odd since I'm immune to heat and can swim in lava. When I opened my eyes again the calm star filled sea, I was sailing in was gone and replaced with a burning wasteland of lava rock, volcanoes, lava and smog covered skies. This was not a place I wanted to stay in for too long as it was not a pleasant place to be with the unpleasant atmosphere, smell of volcanic gas and the heat that was intense and that was coming from me. I looked over the railing and realized my ship was floating in a lake of lava and this was surprising since my ship was made of wood, but I shook my head and smiling as I muttered about the genius of the dwarves. I turned back to Yamanu to see how she was handling this new place and saw her trying to hide in fear by making her skeleton collapse while she camouflaged herself making me frown and walk up to her as I said.
"Go back below deck girl, I'll handle this trip alone." She crooned but I just rubbed her head. "Don't worry girl, I can see this place scares you and I have experience with the beings that call this place home." She crooned and looked me in the eyes as if asking me not to go. "I'll be fine girl; I've been in far worse situations than this." She tilted her head and gave me a look as if she was asking if I was telling the truth. "Let's just say I live a very interesting life that at times is anything but peaceful." She just tilted her head. "Long story and I think the sooner we get out of here the better."
She growled and nodded before heading down into the lower decks while I turned to look out at the burning landscape and willed my ship to the shores. When I docked I hopped over the railing before turning to my ship and wondering how I was going to hide it since I didn't want to leave it out for fire giants to find since not only would it alert them to me being here but also put Yamanu in danger. It was then my ship began to shrink down and floated back up to me as I watched in shock before picking it up and allowing it to be sucked back into my arm. I quickly came out of my shock and immediately released the ship back into the lava before rushing back on board as soon as it was big enough and ran below decks to check on Yamanu since I'd never pulled my ship in with living creatures in it and I wanted to make sure she's alright. I checked every room on the way down until I came to the dragon hold and found her on one of the upper levels looking down at me in confusion. I quickly called her down and as soon as she was in front of me I checked her over and asked.
"Are you alright girl?" She just crooned and nodded allowing me to let out a sigh of relief. "Sorry girl, my ship just got shrunk down with dwarves gave my ship, it can now be stored away with my dragons and livestock safely in it." I smiled. "With this ability I can explore this place without needing to worry about the fire giants finding my ship and finding out I'm here and taking my ship." She just crooned as I smiled and rubbed her head. "Don't worry girl, everything will be just fine so just stay here and relax." With that said I left the room so I could begin my search after taking my ship.
4 Hours later
Four hours have passed since I'd docked here in the land of Muspelheim and in that time I'd been searching high and low for a Blaze Fury but have come up empty. I did have a few close calls with some fire giants though but fortunately I was able to take cover and hide from them before they could spot me. I knew I could take them down, but I was not going to have any confrontations that weren't needed since a ruckus would risk alerting other nearby fire giants that there was trouble and I'd be overrun by a large group of them which is not something I wanted. Even with the skills and weapons in my possession I'd still have I doubt I could handle a large group of fire giants on my own since they'd have size, strength and numbers on their side along with the home ground advantage. It was then I was brought out of my thoughts by the sound of yells of anger and decided to investigate since it might be something I could use to my advantage.
I turned to a nearby hill with the yelling coming from the other side and activated my ox flame boots speed mode and rushed up the hill before hiding behind a bolder. I looked down and saw two fire giants yelling at each other with the one on the right holding a cage made of lava rock in the palm of his right hand while keeping it away from the other one who was holding a giant bag in the palm of his right hand. I activated my jaguar mask so I could better hear what they were saying and I learnt that they were arguing over a price for what's in the cage since there was only one of the captured creatures in the cage. The reason it was expensive is because apparently what was in the cage was incredibly hard to find and harder to catch but they were also incredibly tasty so they're a rare delicacy among the fire giants. I turned around to let them continue with their petty fight until the one holding the cage said.
"DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY OF OUR BROTHERS WOULD KILL JUST FOR A TASTE OF A BLAZE FURY?!" I immediately turned back to the giants and saw the one with the cage gesture to it. "THIS DRAGON IS WORTH TWICE AS MUCH AS I'M OFFERING TO SELL IT TO YOU FOR SO YOU SHOULD BE GREATFUL TO ME FOR KNOCKING DOWN THE PRICE AND TAKE THE DEAL BEFORE I OFFER THIS BLAZE FURY TO SOMEONE WHO'LL TAKE THE DEAL AND BE GREATFUL FOR IT!" The other growled.
"FINE, I'LL TAKE IT BUT DON'T EXPECT ME TO DO BUSINESS WITH YOU AGAIN YOU CROOK!"
I knew I needed to get that blaze fury out of there since I did not want it to become a snack for one of those giants but I needed to act fast while they were distracted. I released my axe while channeling a light blue crystal before throwing it hard at the one holding the bag and controlled where it went by force of will. I smiled as it went right through the giants neck from the side freezing the part where it went in and came out the other side of the neck as the giant gurgled while dropping the bag to grab his neck as he fell to his knees. Before the other one could react, I had my axe come back towards his neck and go right through it like the other one and smiled as the cage was dropped to the ground and dropping to his knees while grasping his neck. I smiled and made my way down the hill towards them so I could open the cage and get the blaze fury out of that cage before any more fire giants come around.
I activated my ox flame boots speed mode and rushed down while summoning my axe back to me and stopped when I was ten feet away from the cage. I walked up to it while holding my prosthetic arm out and caught my axe in the hand and collapsed it and pulling it into my prosthetic and made my way over to the cage. I looked inside and saw a dark crimson dragon curled up on the floor in fear making me frown before I said.
"Don't worry, I'm going to get you out of there."
I walked over to the door of the cage and used my prosthetic to rip the lock off and opened the door but the dragon glared at me as I took a breath and feeling it would be best to use an old trick I took a few steps back and spread my wings out. The blaze fury leaned back and let out a roar of surprise before it calmed down a bit and slowly approached me as I smiled and said.
"See, I'm not like those giants that wanted to hurt you."
I stood still as it slowly came out of the cage and began examining me while I did the same to the dragon and I was impressed with what I saw. It looked a lot like a Night fury in form, but the back spikes are narrower, with fins and wing tips having an appearance that looked like flames. This dragons' scales were dark crimson coloring no doubt due to its habit and hiding among large flames it creates to hide in from enemies. Along with this it's earflaps look like little flames with each possessing curvy pointy ends that were pointing towards one another while its eyes were a fiery orange with black slits that had a darker orange lining. I also took notice that this one was a female with a figure that was more slender than Toothless which I had to admit added to her beauty. It was then she came to stand in front of me and sitting down before tilting her head as if asking me what I was but I just smiled and said.
"Just know that I'm a friend girl." With that said I held out my real hand towards the dragon, looked away and in a few seconds, I felt a muzzle press up against it and smiled and turned to her. "See now, I'm your friend and I'd like you to come with me out of this realm and join back on my island in Midgard where you'll be safe from the fire giants and others who'd want to harm you." She crooned and tilted her head for a few moments before nodding making me smile. "Let's get out here girl." She nodded before I turned to begin leading her away until my eyes landed on the dead fire giant who had the leather bag. "Might as well checkout what that giant was going to use to pay for you." I walked up the bag and opened it up before checking in but the second I saw what was in it I let out a wolf whistle since the bag was full of fire rubies that were as big as my head. "Odin's ghost the rubies are big in this realm." I then shrugged. "Well no use in leaving this here for other fire giants to find and use." I took my spiderpack and placed it on the ground allowing it to expand before lifting the bag and putting it in and watching it sink into the darkness. "Well that's another little souvenir from this trip safely stored away." I then turned to the blaze fury. "Let's get out of here girl." She crooned and nodded before we took off to a nearby lava lake to release my ship and we could take off.
30 minutes later
I was on the top deck looking out at the endless ocean of stars that was the in between realms with Yamanu on my right and the blaze fury I'd named Pele after the Hawaiian lava goddess was on my left. Now we were on our way to Jotunheimr, home of the giants and the aqua fury's who called the large lakes of the land their home but I knew this wouldn't be an easy trip since if the giants there were anything like the other giants I'd encountered, there'd be trouble. I knew I'd need to stay away from the mountains though since that's where it is said that winter never ends and, in this realm, those cold peeks are home of many frost giants who'd want my head. As for the aqua furies, I'd read that they were once frost furies who were driven from Niflheim along with most of the frost giants during a war with the gods. Like some of the frost giants they adapted by spending time down in the warmer parts which slowly melted their icy bodies and over the generations became the aqua furies that roam the lands various rivers and lakes.
It was then we finally passed through the portal and entered the realm of Jotunhemr and found my ship floating in the middle of a lake surrounded by a lush forest. I willed my ship to dock on the small beach before I hopped off with Yamanu and Pele following me before I pulled my ship into my arm and looked out at the lake. I wondered if there was an aqua fury nesting within it but I shook my head knowing things would not be that easy for me since they never are. I turned to my two furies and said.
"Alright ladies, we're going to need to keep an eye out for any trace of a dragon in these lands but avoid any confrontation with the giants since the last thing we want is trouble and stay away from the mountain peaks with the snow since that's where the frost giants are and I do not want them to know I'm here." They each tilted their heads. "Let's just say me and them have a bit of a history together and because of this, they'll want me dead ten times over and anyone close to me." They both just stared before giving me a look that clearly asked what I'd done. "I'll tell you at a later time." With that said we took off.
4 hours later
It's been four hours since we arrived and so far, no sign of any aqua furies but we have found multiple signs of giants such as giant footprints, overturned trees and the occasional trap. We were looking at a river in a valley before the sound of angry yelling echoed through the valley and I knew it would be best to check it out since the last time I did I found Pele so it might be giants fighting over an aqua fury. We quickly took off towards the source of the yelling and found ourselves on the edge of a cliff looking down at a large lake with a village made on the edge of it. Using the eye of the dragon I got a better look at what was happening and I was not happy with what I was seeing since there were three frost giants with the middle one yelling at a normal giant who was looking down while the giants gathered behind him. It wasn't that hard to tell they were afraid of the frost giants who were clearly bullying them. I didn't like frost giants to begin with, but bullying others was crossing the line and I couldn't stand by and watch this happen. I signaled Yamanu and Pele to stay back before I jumped off the cliff and spread my wings gliding down the ground near the village where I was finally able to hear what's happening.
Sunset
It's been six hours since I first flew down to the giant village and in that time a lot has happened after I found out what the deal was between this village and the frost giants. Apparently, the frost giants forced the giants of the village to hand over a large amount of fish that they catch, or they'd destroy the village and all its inhabitants. I did not like this one bit since the giant was explaining that they'd had a bit of a dry spell when it came to their catch and they barely had enough to feed themselves this month. The frost giants weren't too happy with this answer and gave the giant till sunset to hand over the fish they were meant to give them or there'd be trouble right before punching the giant in the face and throwing him to the ground.
When the frost giants left, I rushed up to check if he was alright surprising both him and the villagers who'd rarely ever seen a human in their land. After that things resulted in a long question and answer session starting with the giants asking me what I was doing in Jotunheimr and why I cared if their chief was alright. I went onto explain how I got into their realm and how I didn't like seeing people being bullied after what my childhood was like so I couldn't stand by and do nothing. Turns out they'd heard of me and a lot of them admired me since after I took out their leader things got more chaotic for the frost giants since they had nobody to lead them but recently they've gotten more organized and began bullying them.
The chief of the village, who was named Gullveig was a giant with a brown beard, a bald head wearing a toga made from various animal skins, was a kind soul who simply wanted to protect his people but the frost giants are too strong. When I offered my help in facing them, he turned me down claiming it would only make matters worse if they knew they were getting help from the one who killed their king. I respected his wishes but that doesn't mean I had to like them and after that he arranged his people to begin fishing to try and get enough to give to the frost giants. Before he left though, I told him that him and his people are stronger than the frost giants when they stand together and then I walked away but I stayed close in case something happened.
Now I was sitting on a nearby boulder with Yamanu using her ability to keep me hidden while Pele stayed on the cliff ready to help if she was needed. It was then the frost giants came out of the forest but this time there were fifteen of them and they were all armed with an ice weapon in their hands. The one at the front who was leading them walked up towards the village with Gullveig walking up to meet him and it wasn't hard to tell that things weren't going well for him if the yelling of the frost giant was anything to go by. He then punched Gullveig down again and raised his axe ready to bring it down on him but that was not something I was going to allow to happen. I activated my ox flame boots and rushed at him while releasing my axe and threw it at the ice axe handle and smiled when it slammed into the handle, shattering it. The blade of the axe fell to the ground landing in front of Gullveig before everyone turned to me as my axe came back into my hand while I glared at the frost giants and yelled.
"THAT IS ENOUGH!" They stopped and stared at me for a few seconds before the leader pointed at me and yelled.
"YOU!" He lowered his hand. "YOU ARE HICCUP THE HORRIBLE, THE MORTAL WARRIOR WHO KILLED OUR KING!" I glared at him.
"YOUR KING TRIED TO DESTROY MY REALM AND THE OTHER REALMS, I JUST PROTECTED MY HOME FROM YOUR KINGS INSANITY AND NOW IF YOU DON'T RETURN TO THE MOUNTAINS WHERE YOU CAME FROM AND LEAVE THIS VILLAGE ALONE!" He just smirked at me and pointed at me before ordering the other frost giants.
"KILL HIM WHERE HE STANDS FOR KILLING OUR KING AND FOR PROTECTING THESE WORTHLESS GIANTS!" I got ready for a fight but before they could charge Gullveig punched the leader in the face from the side and yelled out.
"FOR THE GOOD OF OUR VILLAGE ATTACK!"
It seems seeing their leader act like this inspired the others in the village and they charged out with logs in their hands as crude weapons and began attacking the surprised frost giants. I smiled seeing how the giants had found their courage but knew I couldn't let them have all the fun I charged at the frost giants to help fight them who had gotten out of their shock and were now fighting back and with their superior weapons they were doing well. I felt I'd be able to even the odds with my god made weapons and tools that should help deal some damage to the frost giant forces and I started by taking out some of my flashfire balls and throwing them into the chest of a nearby frost giant that was bringing its weapon down on a giant. The frost giant screamed in pain when they hit and melted his chest which gave the giant beneath him the opportunity to strike while I went to help the others in the battle.
2 hours later
It's been two hours since the battle with the frost giants and that battle lasted ten minutes before all the frost giants were wiped out by me and the giants. Now I was sitting on a giant table enjoying a roasted fish with Yamanu and Pele on either side while watching the giant cheer and dance around the fire while Gullveig sat behind me enjoying his own food. It was then he stood up and held up his mug and said.
"A TOAST TO HICCUP THE GREAT, WHOM WITHOUT WE WOULD NOT BE ALIVE TO ENJOY THIS CELEBRATION!" There were cheers as I scratched the back of my head uneasily and said.
"Come on Gullveig, your people took out most of the frost giants." He smiled down at me.
"Don't be so modest Hiccup, I saw how you helped many of my people defeat their opponents and above all you helped us find our courage." He looked down sadly. "When I was about to be killed, I accepted it but you saved me and further more you were ready to defend us despite their superior numbers." He looked back at me. "It was then I realized that I couldn't just stand by and let you fight my battles and that if you could to take on more powerful foes with such courage than so could I." He then gave me a smile. "You helped us find our courage to fight for our freedom from the tyranny of the frost giants and for that I will never be able to thankyou enough and know that if you ever need help, we'll be there for you." I smiled at him.
"Your thanks are payment enough Gullveig but if you want to help me then I don't suppose you know where I can find an aqua fury." He raised an eyebrow before chuckling.
"That's easy, just wonder around the shore in the morning and you'll have no trouble finding them since some enjoy wondering it at that time." I raised an eyebrow.
"Really?" He nodded. "Don't they bother anyone." He shook his head.
"No, we don't bother them and they don't bother us." I smiled.
"Then tomorrow I'm going hunting for an aqua fury." He smiled.
"Well until morning comes, I insist you stay by the village as thanks for your help." I smiled.
"I'd be honored." I then stood up. "I'll set up my ship on the lake and dock it by the village." He smiled and nodded before we continued to enjoy the show.
4 hours later
My ship was docked on the shores of the giant's village and now while Yamanu and Pele slept in the dragons hold I was sleeping peacefully in my bed wearing just my pants but as I did I couldn't shake the feeling of how cold the bed felt. This wasn't really surprising though since the beds always feeling cold whenever I'm sleeping alone since I'd grown so used to sharing the warmth of the two women I love. I'd grown this though with all the travelling I've done without them but it never made it any easier since I still longed to embrace the both of them in bed and just enjoy having them in my arms again. Still though despite all this, this trip was something I needed to do and the girls knew this which is why they didn't put up a big fuss about me leaving so suddenly.
I was able to keep an eye on them through the eye of my automatons using the eye of the dragon which surprised me at first since I didn't think it would work across the realms but I was grateful it did since I could make sure the girls were alright and how things are on my island. Still though it also made me wish I was back home enjoying a little down time with the girls, running with my animals, enjoying a meal in my dining room or taking a bath with my wives. I especially missed the last one but for now I was happy to settle with watching them bath through the eyes of one of my Scouter automatons.
It was then I was brought out of my thoughts when I was able to sense something boarding my ship through my connection with it and immediately got out of bed and made my way out to the top deck to see who boarded my ship at this time of night. When I reached my top deck, I looked around to see who had boarded my ship but didn't see anyone until I turned around to look at the upper deck and my eyes widened since standing there and looking down at me was an aqua fury. When it saw I wasn't doing anything it hopped from its spot and walked up to me and it was easy to tell it was more curious than hostile towards me. I stood still as it walked around me and let out the occasional sniff but while it circled around me I took in as much detail of the dragon's body as I could. This dragon had a slender form compared to Toothless with rich aqua scales to allow it to camouflage in the water to hunt its prey or hide from possible threats within the water. The scales themselves looked like that of a fish or a shark so if I rubbed the skin from head to tail it will feel smooth like there's no scales at all. The wings and fins of this dragon were more elegant allowing it to swim through the water more easily with a secondary set of fins below the tail to help speed it up. Its ear flaps have fins in between making it look like a frilled lizard and it also has webbed feet between its claws to help it swim as well while its eyes were a gentle ocean blue with black pupils. It was then the aqua fury stopped in front of me and tilted its head as if asking me who I was making me smile as I noticed this one was female before I gently said.
"You know it's rude to board someone else's ship without their permission." She crooned and lowered her head. "It's alright, I'm not mad and I was actually hoping to find one of your kind." She looked up at me in. "I was hoping to study one of your kind and if you'll give me a chance, I'll give you some fish." She began to bounce around at this making me smile and knew it would take some time but I think I just found my aqua fury.
5 days later
It's been five days since I went up against the frost giants and in that time, things have been pretty peaceful with me being able to befriend and train the aqua fury who hopped onto my ship the night of the battle. She now goes by the name Ariel since I just liked the name as it was the only one that matched her in her beauty when she swims around the water with incredible grace. During the time I wasn't bonding with her I was learning about Jotunheimr from Gullveig and the village elders who were happy to tell me all about their realm and all it had to offer.
Earlier today I left Jotunheimr to head to the next realm which was Niflheim, home of the Frost Fury and the realm that was said to be the source of all water in the nine realms as it was home to Hvergelmir, the eldest spring in the world that was guarded by Níðhöggr, a dragon that was said to be big enough to block out the sun. He was a dragon I did not want to get near since it has been said that any creature no matter what their species, power or role in the nine realms, he'll kill them without hesitation. Of course, dragons aren't the only inhabitants of this realm as Niflheim was also the realm that bridges Midgard to Hel so all the souls who died a dishonorable death or were to be punished for their crimes when they were alive have to cross through it. When crossing this realm, the icy winds tear at their flesh while the cold freezes their limbs and the fogs mess with their sense of direction so they spend years wondering around, trying to find their way out of the realm, slowly driving them mad. Eventually all the souls find their way into Hel where the goddess Hela would handle the rest of their eternal punishment for the crimes that they committed in their past life.
All of this brings us to now with my ship docked in a river in Niflheim while I stood on top of the deck wearing my arctic wolf armor, looking out into the fog, snow- and ice-covered landscape. My furies were currently below deck, but I couldn't blame them since this realm was known to have ice that's so cold it burns, and I didn't want them to feel uncomfortable in this weather since it might freeze them to death. The only reason I'm not currently a popsicle is thanks to both my armor and enhanced immunity to the cold so I'm able to stand out here in the cold and I'd be able to make my way through easily thanks to my helmet allowing me to see through the fog. This was both an advantage and a disadvantage since although it may allow me to see where I was going it also gave me a clear image of the souls wondering through the fog and they were not pleasant to look at.
I took a breath and hopped off my ship and onto the snow-covered ground before turning back to my ship and pulling it into my arm so both it and my dragons were safe. Once that was taken care of, I turned around and made my way into the fog to begin my quest across this frozen wasteland in search of the frost fury. It wasn't going to be an easy search though since it's a big realm with a lot of snow and ice meaning they have no trouble hiding from anyone with their scales and appearances. Despite this I was confident in my tracking abilities combined with my armor and the enhancements my jaguar mask gives my senses, but it would be difficult in the snow. I wasn't complaining though since I always enjoyed a good challenge from time to time as it kept me on my toes and with my life that's is something I needed to constantly be.
6 hours later
It's been six hours since I set off on my journey across Niflheim and that time has mostly been uneventful apart from when I accidently bumped into one of the souls. When I did this, he grabbed onto me and began babbling like a complete lunatic, claiming he was a terror to enemies and king to his people and how all should fear his power while shaking me like a lunatic. When I got over my shock, I was able to push him off me easily but when he was off me, he didn't attack me again and instead just began wondering around aimlessly again while muttering to himself. From then on, I watched my step and did my best to keep clear of the souls that were wondering the snow-covered land but my main reason was that they looked like walking corpses which was not something that I enjoyed being near.
Now I was taking a short break and enjoying a strip of dried boar jerky while looking down on a rushing river as I wondered where I could find a frost fury. It was at that very moment that I heard a screech that sounded similar to that of a night fury in the distance, across the river and knew it was best I check it out as it could be a frost fury and it sounded like it was in trouble. I quickly released my wings and glided over the river before rushing towards the sound of the dragons roars since from what I could tell it was getting worse every passing second if the roars were anything to go by.
I ran for a few minutes before I found what was making the roars and I was not the least bit happy by what I saw since I found a group of souls that looked to be the souls of dragon hunters attacking a dragon that I believed to be a frost fury. What shocked me though was the one leading them since he was yelling that he alone controls the dragons and when I saw he had only one arm I immediately recognized him as my old enemy Drago Bludvist who looked to be up to his old tricks. I wasn't sure how the frost fury had gotten into this situation, but I was sure of one thing and that was I could not leave this dragon like this meaning it was time for me to intervene. I brought out my mystic bo staff and extended it to its usual size right before I charged at them and after that it was just a simple matter of knocking them away from the frost fury and they'd wonder off in a daze. I paused at Drago though since it was sad to see what he'd been reduced to, but I couldn't deny that he deserved it after all the suffering he caused to both man and dragon. Because of all he'd done I took a great deal of pleasure using my bo staff to hit him hard in the face which I am not happy to say shattered as soon as it was hit and it was not a pretty sight even though it got him off the dragon.
Now that all the souls who were attacking the dragon were back to wondering around aimlessly it was just me and the frost fury who was looking at me in confusion, probably wondering why I helped it. While it stared at me I took the opportunity to study it's appearance and it was clear that this dragon was a night fury species built for cold regions from the form it took like how it's tail fins and ear flaps are a bit more jagged with smoother edges. Along with this the spines that are traveling down its back are ice blue in color, like the wing flaps on its wings making it look like they're made of translucent ice and that includes the flaps on its tail which takes the shape of jagged icicles. It also has white scales that have a tint of blue here and there on it and the blue scales reflects light off their skin so they could look like snow drifts. The eyes though were a cool glacier blue with black pupils that seemed to sparkle like freshly fallen snow that was dancing around as it fell from the sky.
I looked at the frost fury in the eyes as I tossed my bo staff away before it lowered its guard making me smile and take a few steps closer, but I stopped when it growled. I stopped but I maintained eye contact as I stood still for a few moments and allowed the frost fury to circle around me a few times allowing me to see that it was a female. When it stopped it was in front of me and was looking at me confused probably wondering why I helped it before I smiled at it and shrugged as I said.
"Me and the souls who were attacking you have history and along with that I can never stand by while a dragon is being attacked." It stared at me before I continued. "I'm not like those souls, I don't hurt dragons, I help them." I then held out my hand and looked away and a few seconds later I felt an ice-cold muzzle press against my hand making me smile knowing I was one step closer to adding a frost fury to my collection.
7 days later
It's been seven days since I met the frost fury who I named Lucia since I just felt the name suited her for some reason. Training her wasn't that hard though since she trusted me enough to be trained from the moment, I first met her after I saved her from the souls. Still training her took some time but Yamany, Pele and Ariel helped show her I really was a friend to dragons and not some wondering soul looking for trouble. After she was fully trained, I activated the compass to the next realm, which is the realm for the dishonored dead, Hel, home of the phantom fury. We arrived in the realm three days ago, and these two days have not been the least bit pleasant for me in this realm.
Who could blame me though since this entire realm looked like a ruined Kingdom with hundreds of caves and caverns filled with souls trapped in them with bars keeping them in the caves and caverns. In these places there were endless mists showing their terrible decisions and how they live their lives repeatedly showing their defeat driving them to insanity. This led to the sound of moans, cries and screaming no matter where I went which was not a pleasant thing to listen to when I'm out for a walk and the girls didn't like it either. Along with this the landscape wasn't so pleasant either since aside from the ruins of buildings, no matter where I go there were human bones littering the ground and the waters weren't so nice to look at either. The water was as grey as a storm cloud with human bodies floating beneath the surface with their skin white as ash and when I got close to them, they'd reach out to try and grab me.
In the center of this ruined kingdom was a large throne made of black stone with various human bones imbedded into it including skulls that were imbedded in the ends of the armrests. This was the throne of the goddess of death and ruler of this realm; the goddess Hel and I'd already seen it with the goddess who was sitting on it and welcomed me to her realm. She claimed I could find the dragon I was after in the far north among the bone piles since it's where they nest and are able to construct their armor in peace.
This brings us to now with me walking around the area surrounded by piles of bones with the smallest being about my size in height while the tallest reached into the red and black clouds of the sky. What made this even worse is that the skulls were always facing out of the piles of bones were all facing out so no matter where I went it felt like they were watching me which to be honest was creepy even by my standards and I've gone up against the undead. I'd been searching for them for the past two days and I was hoping to find a phantom fury soon since I wanted to get out of this realm as fast as I could which is something, I knew my furies wanted just as much.
I was then brought out of my thoughts by the sound of something behind me and turned around to see a single skull rolling down the hill of bones. I stared at the skull for a few seconds since for all I knew there could be trouble and I was proven right when the hill it came from began to come down right onto me. I quickly raised my left arm while unfolding my eagle shield just as all the bones came down on my body and once, I was completely covered I thrust my shield up causing a shockwave throwing pile of bones off me. I looked around knowing that there was no way that thing came down on its own meaning someone or something brought it down on me and I wanted to know what it was. I looked up to see if the one responsible was around and saw something on the top of one of the bone piles, looking down at me from above. It then began jumping around on the pile making more bones fall down towards me but I held up my shield blocking the bones, but it was then the pile began to crumble.
I got my shield ready but before I could do anything the bones that the creature was standing on began to crumble but I could tell that the creature hadn't noticed. Before I could warn it though the entire bone pile began falling apart and if the screech from above was anything to go by the creature was caught by surprise when it collapsed. I activated my ox flame boots speed mode and took off away from the falling bone pile and once I was at a safe distance I could only watch as the bones buried the screeching creature until it was no longer visible. When the bone pile was done collapsing, I took a breath figuring that was the end of it until I heard a couple of roars and cries from beneath the bones that sounded like the cries of a nightfury. It wasn't that hard to figure out the creature that was now trapped beneath the bones was the very dragon I'd been looking for in this nightmare that people called a realm. Along with this I also knew I had to get it out from that pile of bones before it was completely crushed by the weight of the bone pile resting on top of it and with that in mind I got to work.
Half-an-hour later
It's been half-an-hour since the dragon I now knew to be a phantom fury and five minutes since I finished digging it up before it began nuzzling me in thanks and when it was done it began playfully running around me. I didn't mind though since it gave me the chance to study it a bit and take in its physical form and I had to say it wouldn't have trouble blending into this boneyard. It has the same body shape as a night Fury but the wings were similar to that of a flightmare and the tail is similar to a nightfury's tail but it had the dangling bits that are at the end of the flightmares wings giving it a ghostly appearance. Along with this the parts of the body that weren't covered by bones had scales that glow taking a pattern shape of ghostly markings making it more intimidating. The ear flaps look similar to that of a night fury, but they have tiny little bones wrapped around them so all in all it looked like a living skeleton since the bones that made up its armor looked like ones from a phantom fury and were set up to resemble the skeleton of one. The eyes though were a light grey, almost the exact same grey as bones with black pupils that could grow and thin like a normal dragons eyes.
Now was laughing as the phantom fury that I now knew to be female was once again nuzzling my chest in thanks while I smiled and scratched the back of her head in an opening in her armor. I knew right then and there that I had her and I'd have no trouble training her so without hesitation I stepped away and looked away as I held my hand out. A few seconds later I felt the rough yet smooth surface of a skull covered muzzle press against my hand and knew I had a new dragon to add to my flock. This was good since it meant I was one step closer to getting home, embracing my wives and above all else getting out of this nightmare of a realm.
2 days later
For two days I trained the phantom fury who I'd named Bona since it seemed to suit her with her being covered in her armor made of bones and making her look like a skeleton. She got along well with the other fury species and she accepted my offer when I asked to take her out of Hel and give her a home on my island, she was happy to accept it. Shortly after that I am happy to say I was able to leave Hel and now I was in Niðavellir sitting at a table with a large group of dwarves, enjoying a meal as they all joked and laughed before Brokkr asked.
"So, Hiccup, what brings you back to Niðavellir so soon?" He then smirked at the sons of Ivaldi. "Trouble with that ship of yours?" They glared at him while I shook my head.
"No, nothing like that." He raised an eyebrow. "I'm on a journey across the realms and just got through Hel." All talking stopped and everyone went quiet before looking at me as Eitri asked.
"Lad, why in the name of the world tree would you go through that realm of all places."
"My little journey is to collect all the sub species of night fury and Hel was the home of the phantom fury." They all nodded before one of the sons of Ivaldi said.
"You are one determined mortal lad." I nodded.
"And it's my determination that's brought me here in search of an Iron fury and a tera fury." They all stared at me before laughing as one dwarf asked.
"Why would you want one of those Iron Fury's when, they're a major pain in the rear for blacksmiths with their habit of stealing our work to add to their own armor, not to mention the frenzy they get into after they shed their armor." Hiccup just took a sip of his drink.
"I'll introduce you all to a flock of smothering smoke breath dragons some time and then you'll know what a real dragon pest is when it comes to blacksmiths." Another dwarf asked.
"Do your smothering smoke breath steal your metal while it's still molten or dive into your freshly melted material just to protect themselves?" Hiccup shook his head.
"No but they do steal the finished goods and scrap iron I'm melting down before welding it onto their nests and occasionally rip the nails out of the ships I'm using for target practice, sinking them so I can't use them." They all stared at me before Eitri asked.
"And you keep these things on your island?" I nodded. "Why?"
"They come in handy from time to time, especially when it comes to taking down enemy ships since they can sink an entire fleet in seconds." They nodded before one dwarf said.
"Well if you find the one species you can find the other with it since they often stick together due to how they help each other." I raised an eyebrow. "Tera fury's can dig through dirt like its nothing, but they can't dig through metal which is where the iron fury's come in since they melt the metal down and use it for their armor." I nodded.
"In other words, they help each other out." They all nodded as I hummed in thought. "They might be able to help me out with my mining operations and forging projects." Brokkr then said.
"We'll take you to the entrance of the mining tunnel where we often find them but from there you'll be on your own as we have work to do here in the forges." I nodded.
"Just tell me when we're leaving." They nodded before we continued talking.
6 hours later
I was making my way through the mining tunnels and had been going through the maze of tunnels for the past five hours after I enjoyed a good meal and talk with the dwarves who knew these tunnels best. So far, I hadn't found anything, no dragons or two dwarves I was told to keep an eye out for since they went down the tunnels a few days ago and hadn't returned. From what I was told they were named Alberich and Regin who were brothers and from what I was told they were pretty much, jokes among the other dwarves since they were lousy blacksmiths. The reason for this is apparently they didn't have patience which is a key trait in being a blacksmith since crafting a good piece of metal work takes time and if you rush things you can ruin the entire item to the point that it would simply be a piece of scrap metal.
It was then I heard groundbreaking and metal being struck up ahead and I smiled since it could be a tera fury that had just run into some metal. I began running towards the sound until I heard what sounded like a roar of shock followed by another one that was different to the other and this made me worry. I increased my running speed until I heard the sound of talking and hid behind the corner before peeking around it to see two dwarves, each wearing armor that looked ready for the scrap heap with one possessing red hair and the other blond, long beards and their hair was each tied back in a single tight braid. The one with the red hair was holding a metal war hammer over his left shoulder while the blond had a mace over his shoulder but both weapons looked shabbier than the weapons the outcasts use, to say the least. What caught my attention though was what they were both looking down at since it was both an Iron Fury and a tera fury who were each stuck in a metal chain net. It was then I heard the two dwarves laugh as the one with the red hair said.
"Well Alberich, it took us a while, but we finally caught ourselves an iron fury."
"True brother and we also caught a tera fury."
"Indeed, but the tera fury's useless to us unlike the iron fury." Alebrich nodded.
"Unlike the iron fury which is vital to our plan." I raised an eyebrow.
"Indeed, we just need to strip it of its armor, alter it a bit and present it as our own work." My eyes widened as I clenched my fists and teeth since to alter another blacksmiths work and present it as your own is one of the worst crimes any blacksmith could do and I already didn't like these guys for trapping dragons.
"Well might as well get rid of the tera fury now so we don't have to worry about it while we strip the iron fury before killing it."
Alberich raised his mace as the dragons closed their eyes while I released my snake whip and as Alberich brought his mace down on the dragons, I quickly swung my whip down on his arms. It wrapped around his maces handle shocking them right before I yanked it back pulling the mace out of his hands and towards me before I caught it in my real hand. They both stared at me while I held the mace up and broke the handle in two by gripping it tightly and allowed the two pieces to fall to the ground making the two dwarves back up as I glared at them. I began walking towards them as they began backing up in fear while I pulled my whip back into the handle a bit shortening it as I said.
"I take it you two are the dwarf brothers Alberich and Regin." They nodded. "Well I just heard your entire plan and let me tell you, I am not the least bit happy." I cracked my whip on a stalagmite shattering it making them gulp. "It's bad enough you captured these two dragons and intended to steal the armor off the iron fury but the fact that you intended to pass it off as your own work and kill the dragons when you had what you wanted." I gripped my whip tightly. "That is not something I can forgive nor is it something I will allow you two to get away with this." With that said I charged at them and then the only thing that could be heard in those tunnels were their screams of pain.
9 days later
It's been nine days since I found the two dwarf brothers Alberich and Regin who captured an iron fury and a tera fury in the hopes of passing the iron fury's armor off as their own work. The first hour of that time was spent pummeling the living daylights Alberich and Regin for what they intended to do while the following three hours were spent studying and bonding with the two dragons after I got the nets off them and showed I was not a threat. When they were calm I made sure that they were alright and uninjured by the nets or by the two knuckleheads who wanted to abuse them and I used this as a chance to study their physical traits.
To describe the iron fury, its body looks identical to that of a nightfury but smaller in height and this one's armor looked like living chain mail shaped like scales and a little metal folded on top of each spines on its back were like one set of metal on top of another giving it that unique fold over fold pattern like that which some knights use on their armor as shoulder pads. Its face is covered in silver metal but it doesn't weld the whole mouth shut so I'm guessing when the hot molten metal that forms their armor hardens they let out a continuous low burn melting it open. Its ear flaps looked like attachments and not like actual ears because of the metal and the wings look like this metal because of how thin they are even though they're covered in metal. Its eyes were a glowing orange that looked like molten metal fresh from a forge after being heated for a few hours with black slit pupils like those of a nightfury.
The tera fury on the other hand looked a little slenderer than a night fury and has a thicker complexion that appears to be similar to dirt and rocks but this has the unique ability to change the texture and context of its scales to further it camouflage while it is exposed. The scales rock shaped making it look like a stone speckle kind of pattern while its wings have a sandy color in between the joints of the wings and the tail is similar to that the wings and the fins are more heart shaped. As for the spines on its back they're like a set of smooth rocks set up in a line so it doesn't really have a fin on its back its ear flaps look like a sand sculpture similar to that of Toothless ears in shape. It also has longer stronger claws almost similar to that of a mole which is different to that of a regular nightfury which I'm guessing is so it can dig faster. Its eyes though a very light blue that was almost white in color and its pupils were cloudy white and in the form of slits showing me that it really was a blind dragon.
Surprisingly, both of these dragons were female meaning if I trained them, I'd have two more females' dragons on my ship and no males but I didn't have any issues with it but I'm not sure how Toothless would react to so many females that are subspecies of his species. Other than that, I'm sure he could form a bond with them and help them settle in on my island and find suitable jobs and form comfortable nests for them to enjoy. Anyway, after I trained them they followed me back to the dwarf city helping me drag the two brothers back to face punishment for what they did and boy were they punished. They were assigned to clean out the forges, gather scrap metal and keep the fires burning from now on and were forbidden from forging anything as punishment.
Besides that, I spent most of my time bonding with the iron fury who I'd named 'Argento' which is Latin for silvery and the tera fury who I'd named 'Gaia' after the Greek earth mother deity who I met once. These two were proving to be quite a handful with how Argento kept trying to jump into the melted metal while Gaia kept trying to dig up the ground when she was scared which sadly, was often due to her not being used to being around so many loud sounds or people. Once they were fully trained I immediately got my ship out and had them board it to meet the other furies who were happy to welcome them on board and get to know them. This lasted for the remaining two days of my stay here in Niðavellir and now I was in the second last place on my compass, Vanaheimr which is home to not only the Valkyries and the mimic fury.
I'd been here for three hours now and I found it to be a lot like Elfhiem with large forests that were teeming with life but unlike Elfhiem where the buildings were mostly made from wood and modest, the homes here were more like palaces and there were more mountains around the land. Now I was being led through the halls of the grand palace by a blond Valkyrie wielding a large golden spear to meet the goddess Freya who asked that I be brought to her throne room to meet with her to discuss some things. It was then we reached a set of golden double doors that were so large they reached the ceiling in height and I knew they'd be tough for any normal person to open. When we reached the door they slowly opened up shining a bright light out of the opening, temporarily blinding me but when it cleared I was able to look at the room and I was not disappointed with what I saw. The walls were made of pure white marble with large white marble pillars that had vines made of pure gold wrapping around them with large windows in the walls lighting up the room. There was a large white marble path with pillars lining the sides, all leading towards a staircase that lead up to a golden throne where the goddess Freya was standing with a Valkyrie on either side. I made my way down the path and stopped to bow when I was ten feet away from the steps as I said.
"It is an honor to be in your presence once more, lady Freya." She smiled at me.
"Stand tall Hiccup Haddock, you have more than earned this right after saving the nine realms a third time." I stood up straight.
"I was just doing what I could after the dark elves stole my dragons." She just smiled before she frowned and clapped her hands.
"Leave us." The Valkyries bowed and left the room. "Hiccup the reason I called you here is to warn you about some things." I raised an eyebrow.
"What is it Lady Freya."
"Hiccup, your heroics have garnered the attention of many of my Valkyries and as such you may be facing a few of them during your stay here in my realm." I raised an eyebrow. "Some of them will want to spar with you while others will want something else." I raised an eyebrow.
"Something else?" She smiled.
"Hiccup, you're a strong male who also happens to be a hero of the nine realms and a good looking one as well." She raised an eyebrow. "Do you honestly think a man like you would not have caught the eyes of a few of my Valkyries and they're the kind of girls who don't give up until they get what they want." I gulped at this. "So be on your guard as I'd rather not have to send one of them down to retrieve your soul after your wives kill you." I nodded.
"Thanks for the warning." A thought then occurred to me. "Do you have any idea where I might be able to find a mimic fury." She nodded.
"There is a lake, twenty miles north of here where I have heard one is living so you might be able to find it there." I nodded.
"Thank you, Lady Freya." With that said I left the throne room to begin the long trek north to find this lake.
1 hour later
I'd finally arrived at the lake and had to say it was a beautiful sight to see since the peaceful blue waters with a large mountain behind it and a small forest of trees at the foot of the mountain. It was definitely a beautiful landscape that would be worth painting at some point but I wasn't here to enjoy the scenery, I was here to find the mimic fury. For now, though I felt it best I let my ship out and my dragons along with it since they could use a bit of fresh air and in Ariel's case, might be able to help me in my search since mimic fury's are tidal classes that like the thunderdrum could live on land or water but preferred to live in damp caves. I kneeled down and released my ship onto the water and allowed it to grow to full size before the gangplank was lowered allowing me to make my way on board so I could release my dragons and then we could get to work on finding a mimic fury.
3 days later
I was sitting by the lake side wearing just my pants and a towel over my shoulder while my gear was sitting behind me as I was soaking wet from a swim I took earlier. I was looking out into the clear waters waiting for Ariel to come up after her latest search for the mimic fury while my other fury's were playing behind me, except for Bona and Argento who were laying down at my sides. As I sat there I thought back to these last three days had been mostly relaxing but it hadn't all been peace and quiet since as Freya had warned I had been visited by more than a few Valkyries. Most just wanted to thank me for what I'd done and were hoping to hear how it all happened while some wanted to test their skills against me which I always accepted since I needed a good workout to keep my skills sharp. Sadly, I also had to deal with some of my Valkyrie admirers coming by to flirt with me but I did my best to just ignore them until one of their fellow Valkyries came by to help me with them or until my fury's drove them off with some glares and growls. It was then I was brought out of my thoughts by the sound of water splashing and looked up to see Ariel swimming towards the shore at high speed with a look of fear on her face. I stood up and ran up to her and met her when I was waist deep in the water and I immediately asked.
"What's wrong girl?" She growled and kept gesturing towards the water. "Is there something wrong in the water?" She nodded and continued to gesture for me to follow her. "Just grab my merrow cap so I can breathe under the water and I'll let you take me down." She growled and gave me a gesture as if she were telling me to hurry which I was all too happy to do and, in a few seconds, I was back in the water with my merrow cap on. "Let's go!"
As soon as I said that she swam beneath me, getting me on her back before taking me down below the waters so I could see what has her so worried. We eventually reached the bottom of the lake where there was a small pile of boulders before Ariel allowed me to dismount her as I began gesturing to the base of a large boulder. She growled and gestured towards a gap with her head so I swam over to see what she wanted to show me and when I looked into the gap I swam back in shock when something looked back at me. When the shock wore off I swam back to the gap and looked in to find a dragon trapped beneath the boulder and knew it had to be a mimic fury that was trapped beneath the boulder. I knew I couldn't leave it like this since it wasn't in my nature to abandon those in need and Ariel would not be too happy with me for doing such a thing.
Fortunately, I had a light green crystal in my prosthetic which would have no trouble melting through the rock so I channeled the crystal as I placed my prosthetic against the rock and began leaking the acid out slowly melting the rock. I slowly melted the rock away above the gap in order to make the gap larger so the mimic fury will be able to get through it and escape and smiled as the gap slowly got larger. When it was wide enough the mimic fury immediately swam right out and made a break for the surface with me following on Ariel who was speeding as fast as she could. When we broke the surface, I saw the mimic fury was on dry land surrounded by my other fury's who were slowly circling it with their teeth bared, probably thinking it might be a threat. I swam to shore with Ariel next to me as I said.
"Calm down girls, this one just got out from beneath a boulder."
They all stopped circling but kept their guard up as I walked up to the mimic fury and got a better look at what this mimic fury looked like physically. It looked like a regular night fury but the fins on the back looked like something similar to that of a dolphin's dorsal fin and its tail fins looked similar to that of a fish and the scales were similar to that of a fish. The ear flaps of this dragon are kind of similar to the aqua fury but has a little pattern similar to that of an orca upon its face that according to the lens would always stay the same. Speaking of its scales according to the dragon eye lens, one of its capabilities concerning its scales is it always has a different color in scales every time it sheds its scales and this time it was light green. I checked for any different colors since when they are mated a section of scales will stay the same color representing that they've been mated for life and that even though they shed their scales that's simple spot will never change color and I wanted to check if this one was mated.
I nodded and smiled when I saw not only was this one unmated but female since it meant I wouldn't have any issues with a male seeing me as a threat to its mate but also wouldn't have any fighting problems with a male trying to get fresh with the females. I was brought out of my thoughts when she ran up to me and nuzzled my chest thanking me for what I did for her at the bottom of the lake as I chuckled and rubbed her head. I knew right then and there that I'd have no trouble bonding and training this mimic fury but it would still take a few days before I'd ask her to come with us. For now, though I was looking forward to a few more peaceful days here in the land of Vanaheim after all the craziness of the other realms.
7 days later
It's been seven days since I met the mimic fury and those days had been spent bonding with my dragons which now includes the mimic fury who I named Sylvia since it just seemed to suit her. Now I was once again on my ship, travelling to the final dimension on the compass which is Asgard meaning this adventure was almost over and soon I'd be back on my island enjoying time with my wives. I admit I had been checking on them more and more each passing day but who could blame me since I missed them and it was easy to tell they missed me since I'd seen Blanca stare longingly at my spot on the bed and Astrid comforting Toothless, letting him know she missed me to. It was then I finally entered the realm of Asgard and smiled when my ship docked in a large lake just outside of the city and sighed knowing I'd be getting a headache soon since no doubt a lot of people are going to want to hear what happened to me on my trip across the realms. I closed my eyes and took a breath knowing it was best to deal with it as soon as possible, knowing that delaying things were only going to make things worse so I lowered the gangplank and took off to meet with the gods and warriors in the halls of Valhalla.
3 days later
It's been three days since I arrived in Asgard and that time has been nothing but answering questions, showing what happened in the other realms, enduring a lot of slaps on the back and a whole lot more. Fortunately, I had my ancestors to help keep me sane and to help get me away from my adoring fans which I am sad to say, included some Valkyries who decided to come visit me in Asgard. Sadly, there was nothing my ancestors could do about them since the Valkyries were higher rank when it comes to those in Asgard meaning I had to deal with their constant flirting. It was annoying but it made leaving to head home all the better and now I was standing in front of Odin who wished to speak with me before I return to Midgard. He smiled down at me as he said.
"Hiccup Haddock, I am pleased that you were able to achieve your goal in collecting all the night fury sub species and took the time to enjoy some time here in my halls while showing us all what happened." I looked up at him.
"It was my pleasure lord Odin, but I am curious as to what shall happen to the compass when I return to Midgard." He smiled.
"That is something you shall need to find out for yourself but for now I believe you have more than earned the right to return to your home and enjoy some peace and quiet with those you love." I nodded.
"I believe that is a wonderful idea lord Odin since I've had enough adventure to last me a long time." He chuckled.
"Till next we meet Hiccup Haddock." With that said I nodded and left the halls of Valhalla so I could return home.
10 minutes later
I was standing in front of the Bifrost and took a breath before stepping onto the bridge and as expected I saw a bright flash of light before I found myself standing in the middle of my islands forest. I smiled knowing I was back home, and it was time to go home and let everyone know I'm back but also to drop off the treasures I got from my fight with the fire giants. I also needed to release my ship and the new fury's in it so they could explore their new home and get to know their fellow island residents. Seeing my islands residents was definitely something I had been looking forward to for a long time so with this in mind I took off to get to work knowing I had a lot to do today and letting everyone know I was back was just the beginning of today's jobs.
Nightfall
It's nightfall and I was lying down in bed breathing heavily and covered in sweat but who could blame me since the girls made sure I knew how much they missed me. Astrid was on my right and Blanca was on my left, both covered in sweat while they used my forearms as pillows and neither of them was wearing a shred of clothing and neither was I, but I was in no way complaining. Both girls were sleeping while I just laid there, staring at the ceiling while going over everything that's happened today after I got back from Asgard and let everyone know I was back. Things pretty much went as expected with Blanca and Astrid greeting me with a kiss from each of them before Toothless covered me in his slobber while we all laughed. Following that I released my ship and called all the dragons free so they could get to know their new surroundings and their new home while introducing themselves to their fellow residents. The look on Toothless' face when he saw the females was priceless, but I couldn't blame him since they were all true beauties in my eyes as well.
After this I was dragged back to Berk by the girls who knew I'd only show what happened if everyone was present and I could tell they really wanted to know all that happened. When I arrived on Berk word of my return spread like wild fire and the great hall was full of people all asking me what happened, what I faced, if I was able to accomplish my goal, what happened in the arctic and other things. Fortunately, my dad was able to get them all to quiet down by yelling the magic words 'shut it' and after that I was able to begin the illusion, starting from when I was in the cold regions and released my new base.
By the end of the illusion, everyone was staring at me in absolute shock, but I couldn't blame them as I was the first human to travel through the nine realms and live to tell the tale. Following this I had to deal with the massive headache that was the question and answer session that always came after me showing them all what happened. Sadly, this question and answer session was followed by people asking to see the new dragons and all of them were people who wanted to be dragon riders so it was obvious that they were hoping to convince me to let them have one. Along with these people there was Snotlout and Spitelout who were more interested in the rubies I got from the fire giants with Spitelout saying I already had so much wealth I should just get rid of them before my vault overflows. I just rolled my eyes at them while turning away to discuss things with my mother who wanted to study my new dragons while my father dealt with them.
After that a feast was held in my honor to welcome me back to Berk and to celebrate my achievement, but I wasn't going to say it wasn't necessary since I knew I'd be wasting my breath. The rest of the day was spent enjoying some good times with those around me before ending with my wives dragging me to bed to show how much they missed me. I continued to stare at the ceiling as I took a breath thinking back on my adventure made me think about my future and what obstacles it holds. I knew I could overcome them but it was not going to be easy since it never is, but I've never been one to shy away from a challenge, especially ones against great evils. For now, though I could just enjoy some peace in my life which is not something that I get to enjoy too often in my life so I closed my eyes and let myself drift into the realm of slumber.
AN: Yes, I know I'm late with the update but work was chaotic as was the weekend so not a lot of time to write and as you can tell this was a long chapter compared to others which helps explain the longer wait. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and shall review kindly and for those of you wondering if Toothless gets his own harem the answer is yes since he is an alpha dragon plus Hiccup has one so why shouldn't he. Well till next time guys have a nice day and stay safe.
