Chapter 289
Hiccups POV:
It's been four weeks since the 'Dreadfall festival' and since then a lot has happened such as all the carved pumpkins going bad and being turned into fertilizer for the fields, the decorations coming down and life returning to normal for everyone and the only difference being the fields now smelling of rotten pumpkin. I am grateful to say that once the festival cleanup was done though, I was finally able to examine the gifts I was given by the gods and take in the details about them while also understanding their abilities. I have to say, I was not disappointed with any of them although the upgrades given to my bow and my noe mask are things that needed to be practiced with.
To begin with, like Lady Artemis said, my bow no longer needed to be loaded with arrows and could just pull the bow string back while thinking of what kind of arrow I wanted, and it would form. Now I admit it sounded easy at first but as I soon learnt, it was actually a lot more complicated since I needed to focus on both my target and the type of arrow I wanted since if for a second, I thought of a different arrow, that's what the arrow would turn into and throw off my aim. Fortunately, my ninja and kung fu training involved intense training to focus the body and the mind on the desired target which helped me get the hang of my bow's new ability in a day.
My noe mask on the other hand was a bit harder was a little more difficult to master since the ability it gained was a new form that resembled a snarling wolfs muzzle. This new form still had the same ability as the noe mask to make a large sonic blast but now it can make an even louder one that could cover more ground and it now sounded like a wolfs howl. In addition to this, I could now focus the blasts so instead of hitting multiple foes, I could focus the blast to only hit one enemy at a time with a little more power. It wasn't easy mastering this new ability so I ended up practicing with it for two days before I finally felt comfortable using it in battle and knew I could use it in future battles.
Then there's my shadow wolf which was a lot more powerful than before since as they say, there's strength in numbers, and numbers are something my shadow wolf could now use. This means it could now split into ten shadow wolves which now patrol the shadows of my coat and had the same powers as the original so more ground can be covered in a shorter amount of time. I knew this ability was going to be incredibly helpful when I was attacking enemy bases from the shadows and capture more foes without needing to go after them myself. Along with this, I'm also able to see through each of their eyes so I'll be able to scout out bases a lot faster and furthermore, their speed was incredible since it increased with the enhancement, and they could climb walls or seep in through the shadows. This kind of made them a bit like ninja since they were shadows of stealth and shadows who could infiltrate any fortress with great ease and deal with foes just as easily without letting others know what's happening.
Then after the enhancements to my current gear there were the new gifts I was given, starting with the skull of Lycaon which was now in my trophy room on a pedestal. As for the pendent, I learnt that in order to warn me that enemies were near, the eye would change color to show me the level of danger I was in and how close they were. The way it works is the eye has multiple colors to show me what kind of enemy is nearby so I could prepare accordingly and the brighter it shines while vibrating, the closer my foe is. As for the colors, when the eye turns red, it means they're hostile like when they're getting ready to attack me so it would be a lot harder for those to ambush me in surprise attacks. When it's purple, it means that the one I'm confronting meant to deceive me in order for me to let my guard down and I better keep my guard up while paying close attention to their movements as they're often a dead giveaway to who's trying to deceive me. Green meant I was being watched by someone who didn't want me to know that they were watching me and to keep my guard up since the darker it was the more hostile, they were so all in all, it'd be helpful in my travels where someone's spying on me.
The leather belt and gloves I received from Hephaestus were also quite impressive in their own ways with me finally having the chance to properly examine them and learn what they're capable of. The leather belt was black in color and its buckle was silver, shaped like a dragon's head and at first, I just assumed it would work like a normal belt without being able to be broken but when I took it off, I was proven wrong. When I pulled it off it became rigid and thickened, becoming a pole with the dragon buckle being at the head of it with it forming a ball of light that seemed alive. I tried stabbing something with it and got nothing until I tried channeling one of my prosthetics crystals with the belt in my hand and what the crystal was powered by would blast out of the mouth. This included my gasses which would be launched out in small, concentrated puffs so I'd be able to attack my victims at either a distance or close combat using my belt. As for how I get it back into a simple belt, all I had to do was bend it from both ends and it'd go back to normal, so it was a good weapon and rather stylish, so I began wearing it beneath my third arm sash.
Then there's the gloves which turned from brown to black as soon as I put them on and what they could do was pretty impressive and would be helpful in the future when taking on and restraining enemies. First thing I discovered is that although they're made of leather, they're tougher than gronkle iron meaning I could use my real hand to catch blades without worrying about being cut. In addition to this, it's true power lies in how it's able to form metal plates around it in the form of the joints of the hand and these plates did more than just protect and allow a stronger punch. These plates can be removed from the gloves and piece themselves together to form cuffs that restrain the victims unless I pulled them off and what's more they could be given directly or launched at my enemies. Speaking of the launching ability, the metal parts could be launched as hands which can then be turned into fists and strike their target with enough force to dent iron so perfect for restraining enemies and doing some damage. Finally, if my hands met an opponent's then the metal comes right off and shapes around their hands to form metal gloves which I can then control and use to make the victim beat themselves, their allies or do whatever I wanted them to do.
Finally, there's the cane given to me by Lord Zeus himself and I had to say I was impressed with it since it was a fine piece of work with the cane being made of fine black wood while the top was made of silver and had a snarling wolfhead facing away from me. Now this cane didn't look like much outside of being a regular decorative cane, but I was proven wrong when I hit a piece of gronke iron with the head and not only was the head undamaged, but it had left a dent in the iron and when I stabbed the end of it into something it could zap my enemies with a small jolt to knock them out so it would be helpful when finishing off downed enemies. It was because of this that I practiced using it as a hammer with a small head but that lead to me discovering the head would grow when used this way and become a real war hammer which could send a shockwave through the ground. I could even summon it back to my hand when I was separated from it, so I'd always be able to summon it back to me when I needed it or if it was stolen.
Furthermore, I learnt that when I twisted the head a handle the pole pulls up and the head grows with it wrapping around my wrist, so it looked like my fist was coming out of the wolfs snarling muzzle. As for what it could do in this form, it could form a small crossbow made from pure lightning with bolts seeming to come out of the eyes and the arrows it launched were also made of small lightning bolts which made sense since it was forged from Lycaon's essence, and he did absorb the magic of Zeus who turned him into the wolf beast he became. These bolts that were shot could shock a person into unconsciousness or kill a fully grown dragon as if it were nothing so in other words, they were powerful. All in all, these gifts were impressive and were definitely going to be helpful in the future when I was in combat or taking a stroll through a city and wanted to be safe but not draw attention. It also helped that I could release it from my prosthetic in either one of these two forms so it would save me some time when I needed one of the two. (AN: Form will be on Pinterest page)
Besides that, I am happy to say that things have been pretty quiet for me and the others who call my island and Berk home with the only excitement being caused by the weekly dragon races and the bazaar opening up with the usual rush from the Berkians, Outcasts, Berserkers and Defenders of the Wing along with the occasional travelling trader. The only other things that've happened of any interest is Astrid's pregnancy had begun to slightly show and Chara's armor going through an upgrade in which her armour gains a mask that goes from her chest to above her nose and covers everything between them and the bottom of the armour grew a little longer to form a skirt. This meant Chara would have an easier time concealing herself in the shadows and hiding her identity when she's on missions with the family. Other than that, things have been quiet with me being able to enjoy some down time and focus on training my kids, training myself, training the other island inhabitants, enjoying my hobbies, helping Gobber in the forge and other things.
Now though, I was making my way towards the Great Hall to meet with my father who sent a message, telling me that there were some things he wanted to discuss with me. I stopped outside the great hall and took a breath before pushing the doors open and walking in to find my father at the back, sitting in his chair which was reserved for the chief. He was staring at the flames of the Great Halls fire as I walked up to him, and it was only when I was ten feet away from him did, he actually take notice of me and raise his head. Before he could say anything, I said.
"Alright dad, what's bothering you so much that you don't even notice when I come in?" He looked uneasy.
"Well, you see son, you've come a long way in your chief training, and I figure it's time you took the next step in it."
"You're not going to tell me you're retiring are you because I still have so much travelling to do and so many challenges to take on." He chuckled.
"Don't worry son, I'm not retiring yet, but I do think it's time to take on some more responsibilities as a chief."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you see it's time for another peace treaty renewal and this time I've decided you'll be the one to take care of it." I raised an eyebrow. "As such, you will be expected to go to the island of our allies and help hammer out the details in the peace treaty to make sure it's all fair and works out while also helping out around their village wherever you can to help strengthen the bonds and show we're good to have as allies." He stood up and walked up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "And I know I can trust you to make the tribe proud and strengthen the bonds between our two tribes." I smiled before I sighed.
"Alright dad, you've given me the honey so just hit me with the hatchet." He stared at me.
"What makes you think I'm giving you the honey and the hatchet?"
"Dad, I've been trained by the greatest kung fu master's to read others body language and spot out the smallest details and furthermore I have been trained by ninja master's to hear the heartbeat of others to tell how they're feeling and when they're lying so don't try to hide things from me." He groaned.
"I'm really beginning to hate those ninja and kung fu beasts for training you so well." I chuckled.
"Dad, even without their training I'd still know something was up since if there's one thing my travels and adventures have taught me, it's how to read people." I shrugged. "What can I say, you face multiple magical beings, various villains and aristocrats who wish to befriend you so they can use you to achieve their own goals, you need to know how to read body movements." I shook my head. "Anyway, what's the hatchet you're trying to hide from me?" He sighed and sat back down.
"The tribe I'm sending you to sign a peace treaty with is the Fanged Vine tribe, do you know anything about them?"
"I've heard a few rumors about them like how they're masters of deception and getting what they want, including making treaties that benefit them over the other ones signing it."
"And have you heard any rumors about how they get their allies to sign these deals in their favor?"
"I've been told that their chieftess and her heir are beauties and charmers who know how to use it." He nodded but I could see a bit of annoyance in his eyes. "I'm guessing you fell for their tricks at some point?" He groaned and slapped his head forehead as he nodded.
"It was half a year before your mother was taken and I needed to sign the peace treaty and although I'd heard the rumors, to me your mother was and still is the most beautiful woman in the world, so I thought I was safe."
"How bad was the damage?" He shook his head.
"I ended up needing to give them a quarter of our catches until the next treaty in exchange for a small crate of willow bark and when your mother found out, I had to spend a week sleeping outside for falling for another woman's charm after receiving a few lumps from her using my own bludgeon." I chuckled.
"Sounds like my mom was pretty feisty back then."
"She still is and it's one of the reasons I love her and why I do the dishes without complaint." We both chuckled.
"Anyway, I'm guessing you think I'll have an easier time not falling for their tricks."
"Well, you do have three beauties as wives, and I've seen you keep a straight face through the hardest of negotiations."
"And you also don't want mom to get angry with you for thinking of going near those women again since she ordered you to stay away from them after last time." He chuckled.
"And you're quick to catch on son." I sighed.
"Alright, I'll go but there is one thing I need you to do first and it is nonnegotiable." He raised an eyebrow. "You have to be the one to tell my wives why I'm going and what I'll have to face." I saw his face pale. "No arguments unless you want someone else to go like say, Snotlout."
"NO!" I leaned back when he yelled this. "Knowing how that boy is with women and deals, we'll end up handing over half of everything we own, including the island." I rolled my eyes knowing how true it was. "Still though, are you sure I'm the one who has to tell my daughters-in-law about this?"
"You're the chief and the one who's sending me on this mission so yeah, you are." He groaned. "Don't worry, I'll get started on the preparations for your funeral."
"If I wasn't so worried that they'd actually be needed then I'd laugh." I rolled my eyes and began making my way to the entrance.
"I believe it best you do it today sometime since the longer you wait the worse it'll be for you." I made it to the door. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some preparations to make." With that said, I left to begin preparing for the trip.
5 days later
It's been five days since I received the order from my dad to handle the signing of the peace treaty and since he got an earful from both my wives and his own. Turns out that there was no getting out of keeping the alliance going though as they were one of the top suppliers of various healing herbs and had their claws deep in the traders so they could make them cut ties with Berk. Fortunately, I had my own ways of dealing with these kinds of people using my own connections to make life a little harder for them and besides that, I grew plenty of healing herbs on my island with the help of my pan flute and Hadasa and had multiple traders who would want to do business with Berk to get to me. Still though, I needed to be careful since there's no telling what tricks these women have up their sleeves and what they'd pull to get what they wanted. Just to be on the safe side though, my wives made it clear to me who I belonged to with an all-night session each night for the last five days and that is something I was not going to complain about.
Now I was on the top deck of my ship practicing with my bo staff with Toothless and Twilight watching me as I sharpened my fighting skills since I worked hard to get them, and I was not going to risk them getting rusty. I did a three more-pole vault strikes before walking up to the edge of the ships railing to see how far I'd come and smiled when I saw the island we were heading to in the distance. I willed my ship to go down and into the water as a flying ship would gain a lot of attention from the people and I wanted to be able to at least enjoy a little peace before people began asking questions and begging me for demonstrations.
Fortunately, the rest of the trip only took five minutes before we were able to dock where six armored men were standing with their spears at the ready. I walked down my gangplank and saw their helmets had masks so it was impossible to see their faces but they all had beards sticking out from beneath them showing they were men. I raised my hands as they pointed their spears at me and said.
"My name is Hiccup Haddock, son of Berks chief, Stoick the Vast and heir to the chieftainship of Berk and I have come here to renew the peace treaty between our two tribes." They lowered their weapons as one man walked up and asked.
"Do you have any proof?" I nodded and reached into my coat, having my spiderpack hand me a scroll that would confirm what I said and passed it to the guard who went over it before nodding. "Alright, we'll let the chiefess know you're here, but you'll have to stay on the docks until I return."
I nodded and watched him leave while I decided to pass the time practicing my balance and shrunk my coat down to a jacket form and hopped on one of the dock support poles before doing a one-handed handstand and did my best to keep my body straight while maintaining my balance. I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing while waiting for the guard to return with the chiefess and began wondering what she'd be like from the start. Would she be respectful and chief like, giving me a quick tour of the village before ending it with dinner and the treaty signing or would she immediately sick her daughter on me to try and have me let my guard down so she could manipulate the treaty into her tribes' favor.
These were the thoughts that came to my mind as a shadow fell on me and I opened my eyes to see a woman who I assumed was chiefess of the Fanged vine tribe. As she approached me I looked her up and down and saw she had muscle like all Viking women but her figure had a curvy hourglass shape which a lot of women work hard to try and get, light tan brown hair with a tint of gray, sea green colored eyes, skin that looked slightly silky but had a few wrinkles and her bust was the same size as chieftess Bertha of the Bog Burglar tribe. As for her clothes, it was easy to tell that they were picked to help show off her figure with boots that were less bulky than regular Viking boots, a blue dress that hugged her figure, a brown fur cape draped over her back with a hood and a leather belt with the serpent wrapped around as the buckle and a sword tucked in at its side. She walked up to me and said.
"I am Idunn, chiefess of the Fanged Vine tribe." I pushed myself off the pole and landed on my feet before bowing in respect.
"I am Hiccup, son of Stoick the Vast and heir to Hairy Hooligan tribe." I stood up straight. "I am here to renew the peace treaty between our two tribes." She smiled.
"So, you're the famous dragon riding hero who's supposedly faced demons, monsters, mystics and more."
"I am!"
"We've all heard quite a few tales about you and it's hard to tell truth from gossip so would you mind answering a few questions of my tribe members before we begin the tour of the village?" I shrugged.
"Makes no difference to me, I honestly don't mind answering a few questions." She smiled.
"Before we go, did you bring your dragons?"
"Just two of them and they prefer to remain on the ship."
"Come on now, I'm sure you can get them to come along since my people would love to see some real trained dragons." I sighed recognizing the look in her eye as one my dad got when he wasn't going to give up on something and knowing it would cause problems with the treaty, I decided to give in just to move things along faster.
"Alright, I'll get them but make sure your people know not to crowd them since they don't like it and may see the people as a threat." She nodded.
"I'll tell them." I smiled and let out a whistle before Toothless came running down the gangplank with Twilight at his side.
"Magnificent!" I smiled as rubbed both their heads when they each stood next to me.
"That they are, now where can we do this question-and-answer session?"
"We'll do it in the great hall and don't worry about your ship, I'll have my best men guarding it at all times." I shook my head.
"Don't worry, I've got it taken care of." I summoned fifteen of my ninja warriors. "They'll keep an eye on things while I'm away." She nodded and looked a little uneasy and disappointed but she quickly hid it and began leading me to the Great Hall.
Nightfall
Night had fallen over the village and for that I could not be more grateful considering how today went since I did not have a single moments peace at all after being led to the Great Hall which was a large wooden building at the far end of town. This building is where I spent my entire day with most of the tribe and my dragons, answering question after question while also showing illusions of my adventures. Now normally I didn't mind doing this but Toothless and Twilight were bored waiting for it to end and it was a little harder for them since kids wanted to play with them in the form of climbing on Toothless to hang from his frills, mess with his prosthetic and other things while Twilight had to deal with some chasing her and trying to ride her. I had to keep telling the kids she wasn't ready for a rider yet and when the time came, she'd choose the one who would be her partner in the skies.
The worst part of all this though was the heir of the tribe, a woman my age by the name of Ragna who stuck by my side the entire time even though the first thing I told them was I am married. Ragna had blond hair that looked almost like golden with some people claiming she has the same hair as Thor's wife's who has golden locks and having seen her myself when I was in Valhalla, I admit they were similar, and it helped frame eyes that were a deep shade of blue. She also had perfect hourglass figure and a breast size that was half the size of her mothers with a light tan on her skin making her more attractive.
As for her clothes she wore a short brown skirt that showed off her curves and her legs while also wearing thick work boots claiming she wants to have her feet protected at all costs, a tight red sleeveless shirt showing off her curves from her waist up to her chest which pushed it out a bit, wearing a fur vest similar to that of the one I wore when I was younger but with a lot more fur at the edges near her upper torso, around her neck and arms, laced with bright white fur on the edge of the vest. She also wore a leather band slightly above her forehead and behind where the bottom of the head meets the neck to hold her hair back from her face as she had it loose but tied at the very tip of her hair. She also wore a belt like her mother but with two serpents and on her hip is a set of daggers which I am told she is skilled in using for combat and a special little bag on her right hip, but she didn't tell me what it was for.
The way she latched onto me and rubbed her body against my arm, it was easy to tell that she was trying to get me to let my guard down so she could do something, especially with my silver pendant showing me that my concerns were true. By the time I was able to satisfy the villagers curiosity it was nighttime and time for dinner which was a large feast to welcome me to the village. It was during dinner that their true colors really began to show with Chiefess Idunn and Ragna making sure my goblet was never empty and the mead they served was very strong. It was easy to tell they were trying to get me drunk, so I'd be easier to handle but fortunately the stuff they served was nothing compared to the other places I'd been, including Valhalla. When dinner was done though they offered me a room in their home but I politely refused claiming I'd prefer to sleep on my ship where I could keep an eye on my dragons since they had a habit of launching plasma blasts in their sleep which would set their house on fire. This got them to back off, but I could tell that they were annoyed with the first night not working out in their favor and could feel their annoyed looks burning through the back of my head as I left.
Now though, I was back on my ship and in bed with my wedding ring showing an image of Blanca as I finished telling her about what kind of day I had. I sighed and threw my body back into the pillows while rubbing my head with my prosthetic hand and looking at the image of Blanca that was being made by my ring before I said.
"I'm going not going to have a single day of peace on this island during the day and I have my ninja guarding the docks at all times in case some of the villagers try something." Blanca giggled.
"It sounds like you are having the same trouble you always have when traveling to new places."
"Yeah, but this is one of our tribe's allies and for a peace treaty signing and if things keep going this way, then we run the risk of a war which is the last thing any of us want."
"Hiccup, you have been in more difficult political situations than this and have always won, I know you will come back with a treaty that shall help Berk in the future." I smiled at her image since she always knew what to say to me when I needed it.
"Thanks Blanca, you always know what to say when I need it." She smiled.
"I am your wife, it's my duty to know these things." I chuckled.
"And for that I am grateful." I stretched out my arms. "Well, I better be getting to sleep soon with how tomorrows looking so I'm going to have to end our talks now dear." She nodded. "You have a good night and be sure to give everyone a kiss goodnight for me." She bowed.
"I will and please don't over work yourself." I shrugged.
"I'll try my love, but with this tribe, I'll be using all my mental strength to keep myself from punching them if the heir keeps trying to get me into her bed or trying to get into mine."
"Just remember the mental training you went through." I nodded as she bowed, and the image disappeared as I lay back on my bed and stared at the ceiling.
"Better check on the chiefess and her heir and see what they're up to."
I began looking through the eyes of the scouters and jewelwig automatons I'd let loose earlier before coming in with Toothless after our evening flight. I found them both in the Great Hall with their tribe's council members and as expected, they were doing their best to come up with ideas on how to make my visit and the peace treaty come out in their favor. I rolled my eyes when Chiefess Idunn told Ragna to do whatever she could to get me to be so infatuated that I'd sign the peace treaty without reading it first which would result in a good deal of things for their tribe with minimal losses. I groaned in annoyance when Ragna told them that there was nothing to worry about as it was only the first night and she just needed a little more time to work her magic on me and by the time of the signing, I'd gladly do it just for the chance of bedding her. They all agreed that while they worked on the peace treaty that Ragna would work on wrapping me around her finger like she had done to multiple male heirs before. After that the meeting was dismissed and I cut the connection while rubbing my head as I said.
"This whole trip is going to be one big headache." With that said I went to sleep knowing I was going to need it for what is to come.
1 week later
It's been a week since I arrived and it has been one massive headache after another with the villagers constantly asking me to show them my adventures, warriors asking me for sparring matches, the local blacksmith pestering me for the gronkle iron recipe, many people asking me to teach them how to train dragons, kids and teens asking me to take them on as apprentices and more. The worst of it all though was Chiefess Idunn and Ragna with all they'd been doing with Chiefess Idunn constantly trying to convince me to teach her people how to train dragons every free moment and Ragna was always at me side flirting and rubbing her body up against me. Honestly, the only time I got any peace on this island was when I was on my ship or up in the sky with Toothless and Twilight who a lot of the people had tried to buy from me.
Speaking of which, a few men tried to sneak abord in order to check my ship out and dragonnap Twilight which is why I now have my ninja guarding my ship at all times. At least one good thing came out of that and that was Chiefess Idunn being forced to promise that they'd be punished, and I got to decide on it since she wanted to make sure I didn't use my kung fu skills to cause them serious injury. I knew why she was afraid; I'd used a lot of my skills during the sparring matches against her tribe members who challenged me and those moves were only the basics of what I was taught by the masters, but what she didn't know is I only use my skills to defend myself and others. It was easy to tell she was a little gullible when she believed it after the kidnapping attempt and I lied to the men, telling them that I would use my skills to crack their heads open like eggs just to scare them a bit and make sure they didn't try anything again. What none of them knew though is that I'm bound by the rules of Kung fu, meaning I could only use my skills to defend myself and others when needed.
Now I am happy to say, it had come time to sign the peace treaty which brings us to now, with me sitting in front of the fire in the center of the Great Hall, sitting at a table with Toothless behind me while Chiefess Idunn sat across from me. I already knew she'd been working on the peace treaty all week to make it carefully worded so it would secretly put things in her tribes favor and would explain things after I signed. I figure that's why she'd been acting a little odd since she seemed to be suffering from a hangover, but come to think of it, a lot of people had been acting that way today. I figure they'd been drinking late and as for the treaty; I'd fortunately been trained by some of the best diplomats to read these types of treaties and see every single one of the hidden points hidden within the written words. After reaching the end I sighed and looked up at Chiefess Idunn and said.
"Well, I've just finished going through the treaty and I admit it looks good." She smiled. "I just have one question." She raised an eyebrow.
"What is it?"
"It's simple." I then glared at her. "How stupid do you think I am?" Everyone gasped but before they could say anything, I continued. "I've gone through this treaty three times and can see how carefully written in a way that anyone else wouldn't realize that by signing it, I'm giving you half of Berks fishing lanes, exclusive rights to the bazaar I hold for the first three days it's open, half of whatever profits I make from the bath house I made for the Grown Hills tribe, having me build one for this village free of charge and having me train a flock of dragons for you all." Her eyes widened before she began stuttering trying to come up with an excuse and she sighed.
"How did you know?"
"I've been trained by some of the top diplomats when it comes to treaties so I know how to spot things that could spell trouble for the future." It was then I noticed something through the eyes of my automatons outside. "And it seems that I'm not the only one who takes notice of things." I stood up. "Where are your villages guards?"
"Well, some of them were sent to investigate a disturbance on the other side of the island and when they didn't come back, I sent out a search party and they haven't come back yet."
"I take it you took the majority of the people from the docks to make this search party?" She nodded.
"How did you know?" I stood up and covered my gloves in metal while signaling Toothless to get battle ready.
"Just a hunch and you might want to get your weapons out."
As soon as the words left my mouth, the doors slammed open and four armed men charged in with their weapons raised before they stepped aside and allowed a man walk between them. This man was wearing a leather captains coat and hat, had a grey beard and a crescent moon shaped scar going around his right eye that was blind and a cutlass in his hand. He walked past the men and asked.
"Which one of you is in charge." Chiefess Idunn stepped forward.
"That would be me." He smirked.
"Then lay down your weapon and surrender."
"I would never surrender without a fight."
"I know you will when you see what me and my men have." He snapped his fingers and two men walked in with Ragna being held between them with her arms restrained behind her back.
"Ragna!"
"We have both her as a hostage and the majority of your village has been rounded up and is now being marched to my ship down at the dock while the others are being caught as we speak."
"My people would never go down without a fight."
"Didn't that water from your well taste a little odd today." Chiefess Idunn gasped in realization as it hit both of us since the water did taste a little different. "We poisoned it the night before but don't worry, it just dulls the senses a few hours after being drunk by the victims."
"That's why I've been so dizzy and tired today." He nodded. "What do you want?"
"All your villages' treasures and supplies." I could see Chiefess Idunn clench her fists as I sighed and walked up next to her.
"Alright, I can tell from your accent that you're not from around these parts so before you start making orders could you at least give us your name." He glared before chuckling.
"Smart lad, I'm not from around here but from the waters of a place called England but things got a little heated at home so I came to this land until things calm down a bit."
"That explains why you're not freaking out at the sight of me like most pirates in the archipelago when they see me." I slowly extended my shadow beneath Ragna and the two men who were by her sides without anyone noticing.
"And why would I, captain Moonscar be afraid of a single man like you." I smiled.
"This is why!" I pulled Ragna and the men holding her into my shadow shocking the men before I quickly pulled Ragna back out next to her mother as Moonscar yelled.
"GET THEM!" The four men charged at me.
"Toothless, plasma blast." Toothless quickly jumped out from behind me, shooting a plasma blast between the four charging men, throwing them all to the sides, knocking them out as Moonscar fled the hall before I turned to Chiefess Idunn who was embracing Ragna. "Please excuse me." I turned to Toothless. "Let's go round up some pirates bud." He growled and nodded before we made our way out of the hall and as soon as we were out, I saw a lot of the people had been captured and were already being led down the dock, through the eyes of my automatons and sighed as I mounted Toothless. "Well, this trip got a little more interesting." I summoned my shadow wolf and had it split into ten wolves. "Find the pirates still in the village and capture them alive." The wolves took off into the village while I began checking things around the village and saw very few pirates until my eyes landed on Moonscar who was running down the docks towards a ship where a few captives were being forced onto as I sighed. "Come on Toothless, let's get to the dock and deal with some pirates." He growled and nodded before we took off.
The dock
Nobodies POV:
Moonscar rushed up the gangplank right after the last of the pirates' captives and yelled.
"Cast off, we're getting off this island!" One of the crew members looked at him.
"But captain, many of our men aren't back from the village yet and we don't have the heir, chiefess or the supplies."
"Never mind them, we need to get out of here before that beast rider shows up." It was then a voice from above said.
"Too late!" Both men looked up just in time to see Hiccup and Toothless come to land in front of the gangplank to keep the men from escaping. "The men you have in the village are being captured as we speak." Hiccup dismounted Toothless. "So do you guys want to give up now or would you rather go a few rounds." Moonscar growled.
"ALL HANDS-ON DECK!" As soon as the words left his mouth multiple men stormed onto the deck with a few hanging, onto the railings of the sails and looked down at Hiccup and Toothless, all staring at the beast. "WHAT ARE YOU ALL WAITING FOR?" They all looked at the captain who pulled out his sword and pointed it at Hiccup and Toothless. "KILL THEM OR I KILL YOU LOT!"
The moment he gave the order men charged and the few above began swinging down on ropes making Hiccup smile knowing that this was the chance to release some pent-up frustrations that he's had building up since he came to this tribe. Hiccup smiled while releasing his small rotating blade and quickly launched it up at the ropes that some of the men were swinging down on, cutting them and sending the men on them falling to the deck with few landings on their feet. Hiccup dismounted Toothless and said.
"Guard the gang plank bud." He rolled his shoulders. "I'm going to have a little fun with these guys and brush up on my combat skills."
Toothless nodded and jumped in front of the gangplank while his rider charged at one of the coming who had his own sword ready before he dropped to the ground and slide out with his front leg out. He slid between the man's legs and turned around doing a leg sweep to trip the pirate before he stood up and turned to another man who was coming at him. The pirate swung his fist at Hiccup who grabbed the wrist coming fist and yanked the man forward, delivering a few quick two finger jabs into a few points on the man's body making him freeze up. Hiccup was quick to use this as an opportunity and grabbed the shirt of the man and picked him up before swinging the man's body into like a bat into two of the men and then tossed the paralyzed victim into another man.
Hiccup then quickly did a backflip to avoid another man who was coming him from behind, but as Hiccups feet faced the man's back, he quickly thrust them out while channeling his strength into them. This in turn sent the man flying forward into another one of the men who was coming down the stairs of the upper deck and throwing them both into the ships railing. The moment he landed, Hiccup quickly stood up with his hands open wide before he grabbed onto the belt of a coming man and swung the pirate around while undoing it and then throwing him down a trap door to the lower decks. With the pirates' belt in hand, he turned to a pair of identical twin pirates with one holding a sword in his left hand and the other holding a sword in his right. Both men thrust their swords forward, but Hiccup dropped to the ground and swung the belt up, wrapping it around their arms and tying the arms of the two men together while making them let go of their swords. Hiccup then grabbed their bound arms and yanked them forward while falling back, thrusting his feet into their stomachs before throwing them over his body and down the trap door to the ships storage while Hiccup stood back up.
He grabbed the two swords that the men had dropped and threw them at a man by the wall, striking through the sleeves of his shirt and into the wall, pinning him to the wall. Hiccup then saw men charging at him and smiled before running at the one who was at the front of them and slammed into him, quickly striking some nerves to paralyze him and then lifting him up sideways. Hiccup charged at the men while holding their friend up and using him as a battering ram, slamming into them and pushing them all back and right into the ships railing before pushing them over the railing and off the ship. Hiccup then quickly turned around grabbing three arrows out of the air and turned to where the arrows came from and saw three men armed with crossbows. Hiccup quickly brought out his own miniature crossbow and fires three bolts back, taking all three archers out before he turned the crossbow into its cane form.
He turned to the remaining men which were three of them including the captain who was standing behind the two others before he yelled at them to get Hiccup. Hiccup picked up two discarded swords and swung them around while looking at the men before he charged at them and dropped to his knees as they swung their swords at him. He swung the swords at their legs giving each a deep cut, making them drop to the ground in pain while Hiccup continued to slide towards the captain, standing up and slamming his shoulder into, throwing the captain into the railing before Hiccup slammed the swords into his upper sleeves, pinning him to the railing. Hiccup smiled at him and saw the fear in his eyes as he said.
"I'm guessing you have quiet the bounty on your head." Hiccup stood back up. "I look forward to collecting it." With that said, he took the captain into his shadow as the man screamed in fear before Hiccup expanded his shadow across the entire deck and pulled all the downed victims into his shadow and turned to Toothless. "Alright bud, let's go get the captives off this ship and then go deal with the Chiefess who thinks she can play me for a fool." It was then the men who were thrown overboard climbed back onto the railing making Hiccup roll his eyes. "Just need to put these guys with the others." Hiccup extended his shadow to the deck where the men placed their feet and quickly pulled them in. "Better check the rest of the ship for any more men."
Nightfall
Hiccups POV:
It's been a few hours since I dealt with Moonscar and his crew, including the ones who were busy raiding the village and since then, they've all been put into the cells of my ship, guarded by my ninja since nobody was comfortable having them in the village and his ship was now in a bottle while everything on it was in storage including his treasure. It was thanks to them though that Chiefess Idunn wasn't willing to try anymore tricks since she was grateful to me for saving not only her people but Ragna as well, so we were able to come up with a more mutually beneficial treaty. Sadly, Ragna had been watching my fight with the pirates and was now more determined than ever to ensnare me but not as a way to make the peace treaty fall in their favor but as a way to become my wife. It was because of this I had spent the entire day avoiding her, either using my ninja skills or making up an excuse to get away from her and sadly she wasn't the only girl I had to avoid as the others were doing the same now. I couldn't blame them though since Moonscar's men had made some comments about what they intended to do to them and with me saving them, I guess I made them feel safe. Now though, the peace treaty was made and signed, I was back on my ship, in bed after saying goodnight to Blanca through my ring and asked her to pass my love and goodnights to the rest of my family. Tomorrow I am happy to say I'd be heading back to my island after dropping Moonscar and his men back in their homeland where they'd pay for all their crimes. With this in mind, I drifted off into the realm of slumber while wondering what the future would bring and hoping it'd be bringing a few normal problems for me to deal with like chief duties, some bandits to deal with, some things to take care of on my island and other such things.
AN: And that brings an end to this chapter and with it comes the message that I'm very hurt the last one only got one review even though I worked hard on it to come up with the battle scene and a way to use some things that aren't often used like his wires. Anyway, I would appreciate a little more feedback on this chapter as it's not easy to pump out these ideas on a weekly basis so I appreciate a little feedback, or I might just put this story on hold until I can figure out what I'm doing wrong. Have a nice day and stay safe in these difficult times all.
