Chapter 292

Hiccups POV:

It's been three weeks since I took Brant and Chara on their first bounty hunting trip that they were to handle alone and since then I've focused their training on cleaning up their weak points so enemies wouldn't be able to use them to their advantage as easily. Other than that, I'd been spending time with my other kids such as Xiu and Zephyr while also helping Egil truly settle into his new home and life since I could tell there were times, he was still a little uneasy about it all and feared one day I'd send him back to his tribe. We all assured him that we'd never do that and that he was now part of our family, and we loved him too much to send him back to be abused, but till it was easy to tell he was a little uneasy. It was understandable though since scars took time to fade and after all the pain and torment he'd been through, it would take a bit of time for his scars to fade, and the entire family was trying to help them fade faster.

Besides that, I'd also been working on training him to help him find his own form of swordsmanship so he could be a better warrior and we found he's a better fighter when using one hand to wield his sword with a smaller weapon in the other. We figured this out when we tried equipping him with two swords, but he had no talent for dual wielding swords since it threw him off balance. Then I tried giving him a smaller weapon that could be used to throw or in close combat and learnt he had a talent which worked for me since it meant he could use one hand to wield his sword and the other to throw weapons. The only problem is his aim was off when throwing with his dominant hand, so he's needed a lot of practice which we did in the forest since in the training room his throws often damaged the walls or went out the door when he pulled his arm back. For some reason the cold created by Adal helped relax him a bit and he was able to improve his aim slightly, but it would still be a long way before he's on Chara's level.

Speaking of Chara, she'd been going through a little more flexibility and acrobatic training which has been a bit of a headache for me and gave everyone a few grey hairs. The way she was bent made us worry she was going to forcefully break her own bones and in addition to that when it came to her acrobatic training, she'd often be seen in high places that she would jump down from while performing some complicated moves. Whenever one of saw her do this we'd all worry she wouldn't strike the landing properly since it had happened before which led to her breaking bones or at the very least getting badly bruised and then she'd be brought to me to be healed and explain what happened. Honestly the only ones more upset by her injuries more than me was Brant who tried to attack the ninja who were training her in this form of combat but as anyone could guess, they'd quickly restrain him and lightly discipline him for attacking them.

As for Brant, I'd been personally training him to use some of the spear and staff maneuvers that were bit more advanced than what he'd normally use but the more complicated the move, the more effective its strike or easier it was to deceive your opponent on where the attack was coming from. It took him a couple of days to get one attack right without hitting himself or losing his weapon in some way by losing control and loosening his grip a little. Still though, he learnt it faster than most people which showed how well he'd been trained under the various masters who I asked to be his teachers. Still though, there were times when he got so lost in his training that he forgot to rest, eat or just try enjoying being young while he could so it was up to me or my wives to help snap him out of it.

It is because of all this that I felt we all needed time to unwind and relax a bit which is why we were all at my Hawaiian beach, enjoying a little fun in the sun. The girls were all on the beach with Xiu and Zephyr on a blanket while I was out in the water with Chara and Egil, giving them a lesson in surfing which is why I was waist deep in the water, surrounded by the kids who were on their own boards. Brant who had already received surfing lessons was now out enjoying the waves on his own board and it was easy to tell that he was having a good time if the smile on his face was anything to go by. Besides us there was also Wave Chomper who was in his shark form, circling us just in case there was an accident which is why I also had some of my tidal classes swimming in the deeper waters. They weren't the only dragons around here though as Toothless was also flying around the waters and through the waves with my aqua fury Ariel with them flying around each other, so I assume they were on their own dragon date. It was understandable since I'd seen Toothless spend one on one time with the female furies in the island sections, they called home. I smiled at them since it was nice to see Toothless getting romantic before I turned to the kids and said.

"Alright, one of the main things you have to remember when surfing is always do your best to keep your balance which will be constantly shifting with the waves." I turned to the waves and smiled as they crashed. "The waves aren't always easy to predict so you have to pay attention to how your board shifts beneath your feet." They all nodded before I signaled Wave Chomper forward and to take his board form before I got onto him. "Now I'll show you all a beginner move to riding the waves." I lay down on his back and stroked through the waters towards the smaller waves and quickly began riding one but no tricks since this was to be a demonstration for Chara and Egil and then after riding it for a few minutes, I returned to the kids. "Alright, now you both go try it." They nodded and took off towards the waves.

4 hours later

We were all on the beach again and I had to say I was pretty happy since Chara had an easy time learning how to surf which was understandable with balance being a main part of surfing and her ninja training did teach her how to balance in tough situations. Egil though had a bit of a tougher time since he hadn't had the hours of training under the ninja master like Chara, but he eventually got the hang of it and was soon riding his board with the same skill as Chara. Now though, we were all sitting on the beach and enjoying some lunch with a bit of coconut milk and knew we would need to enjoy more days like this but since I was the future chief of Berk, I knew things wouldn't be as relaxing in the future. I smiled and let out a sigh of content before falling back and laying down while putting my hands behind my head and just enjoying the warmth of the sun against my skin and for a few minutes, I was content to just lay there and listen to the waves and my family chatting. It was then a shadow landed on me while all talking stopped and I sighed before opening my eyes to see my entire family staring up at none other than the kitsune and former wife of Akuhei, Asami. I sighed and sat up before saying.

"Hello Asami." She bowed to me.

"Hello Hiccup Haddock." She then looked at my family. "Good day to you all." Everyone greeted her back.

"So, what's the problem you've come to ask me to help with?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you assume that I have come with a problem that I wish for you to help with?"

"Because you never come to me for a simple visit, only when you have a problem you need me to solve or wish to thank me for solving said problem." She sighed.

"You know me too well Hiccup Haddock." I chuckled.

"So, what's the problem?" My eyes widened at a thought, and I quickly stood up. "Has another demon lord or fallen champion made their appearance?" She shook her head.

"No this is a personal request from me." I raised an eyebrow. "I ask that you please save my daughter." I raised an eyebrow.

"What's happened?"

"She has been captured by the cruel son of an even crueler noble who took a liking to her beauty and had her falsely charged and arrested before he had her taken to his home where she is being held." I raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry but aren't kitsunes meant to be experts at trickery and magic which they use to punish humans who are wicked, greedy and boastful?" She nodded.

"We are indeed masters of such things, but this noble has employed servants who are masters of the mystic arts which can mute our powers imprisoning us in one of our forms." She looked down angrily. "And preventing me from getting into his house to rescue my daughter from their cruelty." I nodded in understanding since I know how it felt to have your child taken from you.

"I'll be happy to help you in any way I can but I'm going to need you to give me all the information you can on this noble and his son." She smiled. "Just give me time to get dressed and wait till we get back to the house before you do so." She nodded as I turned to my family. "Sorry everyone, my beach time has come to an end." The kids groaned but understood as did my wives. "Don't worry, I'll let you guys when I plan to leave, and it won't be today since I'll need time to prepare." They all nodded before I took off towards the house with Asami following me.

Nightfall

I'd spent the afternoon with Asami, discussing what she'd learnt about the noble and his son from the towns people and some of the local yokai who lived near the town. I had to say the more I heard about them, the more disgusted I was with them since it was common for the noble's son to kick innocent people to the ground, shove children into the mud and worse just for fun while his father didn't lift a finger to help the people or discipline his son. Instead, he laughed at his son's mischief and told him he was doing the right thing putting the peasants where they belonged, at their feet in the mud. Nobody could stand up to them since if they did, the nobles personal guard would personally make them regret it by leaving them in a crumbled broken and bloody pile on the ground no matter what their age, but they were careful not to kill their victims since it would cause trouble. Apparently, they were also involved in a lot of crimes, working with a group of bandits but since nobody could get any evidence, they couldn't get help from the samurai who guarded the land and enforced the law and without evidence they couldn't do a thing.

Another thing that left a bad feeling in my gut is how the people couldn't go to the ones who worked for him for help since outside of a few words, they remain silent and stiff with a blank look in their eyes and the same goes for the yokai who are able to leave in their human forms. From my past experiences, it sounded a lot like mind control of some kind meaning that the nobles had some very powerful mystics at their command, so I'd need to keep my guard up. It's also why I was not going to bring my family with on a friendly trip since if they entered the village then they could become targets for the noble and his son since my wives are beautiful and they had received many looks from men in the past. I admit my blood boiled at the memory of some of the bolder men who walked up to them when they saw I wasn't with them and offered them a good time, offered to buy them gifts and some of the more bold ones tried to steal a kiss or a feel of their bodies. The first ones would be turned down and those who tried to do the latter would be left with either a broken arm, a broken nose or a the very least a large black eye.

Anyway, Toothless and I would be leaving for Japan tomorrow with Asami being the one who would take me while Toothless would be in my shadow. In the meantime, I spent as much time with my family as I could, not knowing how long I'd be gone for or if I might not return but I found the last one hard to believe even though you never know. In the evening my wives prepared my favorite meal of yak butter parfait, curry and rice with a fruit platter on the side along with sugared dates for dessert. After that I was able to spend a little time in the bath before tucking in the little ones and then for the rest of the evening, I belonged to my wives who dragged me to the bedroom and made sure I understood what was waiting for me here at home. Now I lay in bed covered in sweat while thinking about the challenge I'd have to face since this would not be easy with it being a nobleman's house that has magical protections and yokai roaming around it for protection. I knew my first goal would be to get Asami's daughter out of there safe and sound, but I also knew I'd want to find a way to expose the nobles' crimes and bring him down, but it wouldn't be easy since it never is when it concerns exposing corrupt nobles. I let out one last sigh and drifted off into sleep while enjoying my wives bodies pressing against me since it wasn't something I'd be able to enjoy for who knows how long.

3 days later

It's been three days since I left my island and returned to Japan with Asami bringing me and Toothless since if I used one of my portal doors, I'd have needed to fly for four days to get to the large town where the noble lives. Since then I've explored what turned out to be a very large town with a few larger buildings where there were some businesses mixed with the people homes above their business'. This village was built in the middle of a large forest with a stone path leading to it and it was built in front of large lake where people would spend hours out on boats, fishing for the village. The place I was staying in was a small inn run by an elderly man and his daughter who was my age and the room they gave me was a simple one with a bed and a table with a chair so nothing fancy which suited me just fine.

The largest house in the village though was the ones the nobles called home and it was built on an island in the middle of the lake with a stone bridge leading to it and on this bridge was multiple armed guards while the edges of the island were surrounded by walls with guards on top of it. In other words, the nobles house was a fortress and after exploring the town using my ninja skills to stay hidden, I could understand why with how he and his son treated the people. Honestly, I saw the son who I now knew to be named Genji punch a teenager and had the guards pummel him just because he didn't like how his face looked and his father, Kazuya actually allowed it since he claimed his son was right about the teens face. It was easy to tell that there were a lot of people who hated them both but feared the consequences of making their hatred known since they knew what would happen.

As for the servants who were sent out to collect things in town, I knew mind control when I see it and they were being mind-controlled in some way if the blank look in their eyes was anything to go by. In addition to that, there was their lack of reaction to any physical contact including the guards who would strike them just for fun, so it was a clear sign something was up with their minds. Along with this I learnt that some men and women once stood up to the nobles despite their families begging them not to and, in the end, they were taken away and not seen for a week but when they did return, they'd become servants to the noble and didn't respond to their families trying to talk to them.

I learnt this from hiding in the shadows and listening to the people discuss things in hushed whispers on my first day here and on my second day, I posed as a traveler so I could ask people around the village for more information. Since I didn't want to draw attention, I wore a disguise in the form of my grootslang coats sleeves becoming baggier while tying the torso closed using my third-arm sash, wore my kappa shell helmet, used my blade scarf over my lower face and wore my metal leather gloves to cover my prosthetic hand. Just to be on the safe side though, I kept my other gear on beneath the coat just in case I ran into trouble and kept my wolf cane out in case of a fight while also keeping my sentient metal items at the ready.

This proved to be the right thing since not ten minutes after entering the village was, I forced to deal with the guards coming to harass me and ordering me to pay an entrance fee for the village. I didn't want to draw attention, so I paid the fee, but I slipped my bad luck coin into the gold coins they took from my hands and then when their backs were turned and nobody was watching, I used my third arm sash to steal back my gold and more by grabbing the leather bag they put the gold into. After that I began talking to the people and after talking to only six people, to say I was determined to bring Kazuya and his son down would be an understatement since they have caused so much suffering that getting rid of them would be a favor to all of Japan. For now, though, I'd been helping the people in the different way by giving the local business' some more business and paying extra gold coins to help keep food on their families table since the nobles and their guards were stealing their money in some way claiming it was either taxes or payment for their services and to help pay for the village's protection.

After doing a fly over of Kazuya's home in the evening on Toothless though, it was easy to tell where the money was truly going since the garden was filled with statues, gazebos and more than enough decorations than there were on my entire island and all my other houses combined and I could only imagine what the inside looked like. I was able to drop a few of my jewelwigs and Scouter automatons during the fly over and got some of them into the house and I was not disappointed since the entire place was filled with all sorts of statues, paintings, vases, decorative weapons, masks and all sorts of things that just screamed wealth. What's worse is that there were multiple human servants walking around in trances doing some sort of job for the guards or the nobles but what I couldn't find was how they were hypnotizing the people or any yokai.

Fortunately for me, I had a plan to find out how, but it was pretty risky since if the guards caught on then I'd be in for some serious trouble as the guards and the noble would not take it lightly. This brings us to now, on my third evening here in the village and I was hiding in the shadows waiting for my target to pass by and it was at that moment, they did. I quickly extended my shadow and pulled them in before I left the shadows and made my way back to the inn where I was staying since the guards would begin their patrol soon. When I entered the inn, I greeted the elderly owner who smiled at me before nodding in greeting before I made my way to my room, shut the door and locked it and did the same with the windows. As soon as I knew there was no way for anyone to see me I dived into my shadow where Toothless was laying and perked up when he saw me. He growled in joy and rushed up making me smile as I scratched his chin and said.

"Bud, tonight we might get a little closer to figuring out what's going on in this town."

He growled and nodded as the platform activated and we were taken down into my shadows prison and made my way to the cell that held the one I captured. I looked inside and found the person I captured standing in the middle while staring blankly at the cells outside and nothing more which was understandable as the person, I captured was a young woman, dressed in white robes with dark blue covering the top and she was one of the servants who I knew to be under mind control. I had my shadow wolves stand guard at this cell since there's no telling how she'd react when I got close before I entered the cell and still got no reaction. I pulled out my mystic vase, a cup and my bottomless waterskin before I poured some water into the vase and then poured that water into the cup. I gently pressed into the girls' lips and tilted it up, pouring the water into her mouth and down her throat before pulling it away and putting the cup and vase away. For a few seconds the girl just stood there and then she frowned as tears formed in her eyes and then she dropped to her knees crying. I kneeled down but before I could say anything she grabbed onto me in the form of a hug as she sobbed while thanking me continuously and all I could was gently hug her while rubbing her back and shushing her to comfort her. When I was able to pull away from her, I asked.

"What happened to you?" She sniffled.

"I was on my way to visit my uncle when a group of bandits ambushed me and my guards, kidnapping me with a bag over my head so I couldn't see but when we arrived, I was being looked down on by Lord Kazuya and his son Geni." She began tearing up again. "They told me that I would serve them from now on before an elderly man with glowing hands walked up and placed his hands on my head and then I could not control my own body." She threw her head into my chest sobbing. "Kazuya and his son forced me to do horrible things while under their command and I could not do a thing to fight back." She took a breath. "Every day, I was forced to endure their torment and abuse alongside the others who they enslaved." I gently stroked her hair.

"Don't worry, what I gave you was water that was infused with powerful magic of my vase, and it's not only freed you from their control but also ensured that the magic would have to be as powerful as a gods magic to enslave your mind again." She pulled away and looked at me shocked.

"How did you get such power?"

"It was a gift from the gods for my services to them as was this place I brought you but for now why don't we introduce ourselves." I pulled away from her. "My name is Hiccup Haddock, and I came to this village to try and help a friend whose daughter suffered the same fate as you and was also hoping to expose Kazuya and Geni's doings to the rulers of this land." She nodded.

"My name is Mochizuki Ema, my family name is Mochizuki so please call me Ema and as for exposing the evil deeds of Kazuya, I may be able to help." I raised an eyebrow.

"The uncle I was visiting is a noble who is close with the lord of this province and the lord is someone who truly cares for all his people while also detesting any form of abuse of power." She smiled. "When they find out about what's been happening then Kazuya and Geni will be in for a long stay in the dungeons if they are not executed." I smiled at this before she frowned. "I will need to get out of town though and the place is always swarming with guards." I nodded.

"Don't worry, I can easily get you out of town and I have some friends who will not only help you get to your uncle but also ensure your safety." She smiled in gratitude. "But first, is there anything you can tell me about Kazuya's home like where I might be able to find evidence on their evil deeds so your uncle and the lord of this province will have an easier time arresting them." She looked thoughtful for a moment before she shook her head.

"My apologies but Kazuya's home is a large place with various secret passages and rooms where he keeps any evidence of his misdeeds."

"Do you know any who might have some idea of where he hid the stuff?"

"There are his lead guards who wear the red armor, they are Kazuya's most trusted men so if anyone would know where he keeps them, aside from Geni it would be them." I nodded. "It won't be easy to convince them to talk though as in addition to being loyal to their masters, they're also afraid of the consequences that betraying him would have." I smiled at her.

"Don't worry, I have ways of making people answer my questions." She looked curious. "Let's get you out of town for now and I'll deal with grabbing one of Kazuya's top men." She nodded before I lead her out of the cell, and she jumped back in shock when she saw Toothless and the wolves. "Don't worry, the wolves are just guards of this holding place and the dragon is my best friend." She remained close to my side as I lead her to the platform and took her to the upper level while signaling Toothless to stay back for now and once, we were in the upper floor I turned to Ema. "You'll have to stay here for a bit until I can get a good distance away from the town, so the guards won't be able to find out you've left." She nodded before I left my shadow to return to my room in the inn and as soon as I was back, I left through the window to begin my journey out of town while avoiding the guards.

2 hours later

Ema was now on her way to her uncle's home while being escorted by my five ninja leaders while my other ninja warriors were scattered across the entire village, trying to find any evidence of Kazuya and Geni's misdeeds. As for me, I was on the roof of a house, scouting out one of the guards in red who unfortunately was patrolling the streets with two other men wearing black armor and I knew a single patrol disappearing may cause issues, so I needed to focus on just the one man. I decided it was time to divide and conquer my foes before I made my way across the roof towards the nearest alley that they were approaching and waited for them to pass by. As soon as they were close enough, I threw a metal fist at the ground in the alley and made a loud sound that caught their attention and as expected the lead guard sent in his two goons to check it out. As soon as they were gone, I jumped down from the roof and silently landed behind the man in red armor and extended my shadow beneath him before expending the tendrils and wrapping them around his mouth and limbs and then pulling him down into it. I then quickly got back on the roof before his men returned before making an illusion of him as the men came back and made the illusion tell the men to go home and that he'd continue the patrol by himself.

Once they were gone, I went into my shadow and made my way down to the cells where the guard was looking around in shock before his eyes landed on me. He growled and rushed forward towards the bars as he asked.

"WHO ARE YOU?" I smiled.

"I'm the guy who's going to bring both you and your corrupted master down." He laughed.

"You have no idea the power my master possesses." I smirked.

"And you have no idea the power I possess." I grabbed him by the front of his collar and brought him forward, slamming him into the cell door before pushing his dazed form back and entered the cell while grabbing his wrists and forcing them behind his back and activating my metal gloves, cuffing his arms behind him. "Now why don't I show you some of the power I have." I dragged him out of his cell and down to the crystal room with him struggling the whole way until we reached the room since the second, he entered, chains shot out of the wall and pulled him into the dent before I began my interrogation.

1 hour later

It's been an hour since my interrogation and since then I'd learnt a lot about the base and the hidden passages it contained while also learning that they also had multiple yokai enslaved and living in either their human form or beneath the house in some secret lair no guard has ever been. The thing is he didn't know much about the location of the entrance to the dungeons or the one who did the mind control since those things were kept secret by Kazuya who didn't even tell Geni. What he did tell me though was that the one who did the brain washing wasn't the only magic user he had working for him as he also had a few other men who used different magics to fight but he didn't know how many since they rarely used their magic, so it was hard to know who a magic user was and who was just a new servant. As for the guards who patrolled the town, they were really all bandits who Kazuya recruited knowing they wouldn't betray him to the lord of this land as that would mean exposing themselves and they all had big bounties on their heads. It wasn't much but I knew it was better than nothing and it was enough information to begin planning my attack on the home of Kazuya and his son Geni.

4 days later

It's been four days since I captured the guard and since then I'd captured four more red armored guards and interrogated them for all they were worth, but they all mostly just had the same information as the first one. There were a few things I wanted to hear though such as the guard's schedules, how they were arranged on the wall, what halls they patrolled and a few other things to help me with the infiltration. Now though, I was presently in my aquatic armor, swimming beneath the water towards the side of Kazuya's home since the bridge was crawling with guards, this was the better way in. I quickly reached the island and crawled out before I changed into my regular attire and quietly walked up to the wall and leaned up against it, looking up at the watchtower where the guards had just switched posts for two hours. I smiled and came to the corner that was the blind spot of the tower and released my mystic rope, having it extend up to the tower before I quickly began climbing up. When I reached the halfway point up the wall, I released my blow pipe and loaded up two paralyzing darts before launching them both at the two guards in the tower, hitting them both and taking them out in a way nobody would be able to tell they were out.

I quickly climbed up the rest of the way and as soon as my feet hit the ground, I pulled my rope back into its bracelet form and I silently ran across the wall and up the tower before I ducked down behind the railings wall to scout out the courtyard. I saw it was crawling with guards who were patrolling around the main building and knew it would not be easy to get past them with how they were looking out for each other and talking so anyone acting odd like freezing up would alert them that something was up. Sadly, in addition to this the moon was full tonight so it shined its light brightly into the courtyard so I wouldn't be able to use the shadows to my advantage. Fortunately, luck was also on my side and there were a few clouds up in the sky this evening so all I had to do was wait for the right moment to make his way to the house.

10 minutes later

I silently sat in the middle of the watch tower, waiting for the clouds to cover the moon and darken the courtyard so I could get across the courtyard. Now after ten minutes of patiently waiting my chance came with a thick cloud flying over the island the house was built on, covering the courtyard in darkness. Not enough that I'd be able to make my way across the courtyard but enough that I would be able to glide over the courtyard using my own wings so without hesitation, I spread my wings and glided over the courtyard towards the house, landing on the roof. Knowing the darkness wasn't going to last forever, I silently rushed over and made my way into the building to seek out the hidden rooms where I could find the yokai and the evidence of the various crimes.

1 hour later

It's been an hour since I infiltrated the house and that time had mostly been spent using my shadow coat to hide in various shadows and my ninja skills to hide in various other places. I hadn't spent all my time hiding though as I discovered the guards I captured weren't lying when they said this place had a lot of hidden passageways and rooms which were easy to find thanks to my mystic bells. The problem is that most of the secret passageways were only hallways that formed shortcuts to other parts of the building or empty hidden rooms. The empty rooms weren't something I was able to make use of though since they were good places for me to hide from patrolling guards. There was at least one room that held some gems in the form of hidden taxes that Kazuya had claimed were already used to pay the towns guards which proved he had been lying. I already knew he'd been using to decorate his home with rare and beautiful paintings, statues and other decorations, multiple expensive foods and ingredients which I saw in the kitchen, expensive bejeweled silk clothes, expensive weapons for his men and more, all to live a life of luxury and safety.

I still hadn't found the hidden room where they held the yokai or the mystics who were responsible for all the innocents being enslaved or the room where they kept the evidence of their crimes. Now though, I was silently running down a hallway that was hidden by a secret door and I hoped that this wasn't just another shortcut to some other part of the house. It was as I ran I heard the familiar ring of my round blue bell and that meant there was another hidden passageway so I slowed down and soon saw the familiar glow of a hidden door. I walked up to it, but before I opened it I heard the familiar ring of my pyramid shaped bell meaning there was a trap behind the door so I pulled it out and gently rung it, disarming the trap but only softening the ringing meaning there were more ahead. I pulled out my rectangular red bell and gently rung it, undoing the lock and then opened the door while keeping my green bell out to handle the traps but putting my red bell away. I found myself in another short hall and made my way in while ringing my red bell, disarming the traps around me before reaching the door at the end and pulled my red bell out once more unlocking the door.

I walked into the room and put my bells away before igniting my prosthetics finger and then controlling the flame, sending it to a torch, lighting up the room showing a room full of shelves that had multiple books and scrolls on them with a desk at the back. I pulled out one of the books and opened it up and the moment I read the first page, I couldn't stop the large smile from coming to my face since the stuff on the first page alone would be enough to get Kazuya arrested and imprisoned for ten years. I quickly read through the entire book and by the end I was both disgusted and yet so overjoyed as this book alone was full of evidence on his various misdeeds. I went through a few of the other books and scrolls and to say I was horrified by the things he's done would be an understatement since even just one of the crimes in the books would get a person the death sentence. Knowing this evidence would come in handy in the future I put a few of the books and scrolls into my spiderpack before making my way out of the room to continue my exploration of the house.

1 hour later

It's been an hour since I grabbed the evidence, I'd need to help take down Kazuya and Geni down and since then I'd been through multiple hidden passages and come up with nothing other than a few empty rooms and the occasional shortcut. Now though, I was making my way down a hidden staircase which I hoped would lead to where the yokai were being held which I hope included Asami's daughter and yokai who weren't going to try to kill me, like Jorogumo or Nikusui. If I did then I'd have to kill them since they were known to harm people and the people would be far better off without them roaming the lands.

It was then I came to the bottom of the stairs and found a metal door with a couple of paper talismans stuck on it and I knew this had to be the place. I rang my red bell, unlocking the door and pushed it open before walking in and gasped as I at what I saw since there were multiple wooden bared cells with paper talismans above each of them to keep the inhabitants trapped within them. I walked in and looked around seeing various yokai sitting in the cells, but they each raised their heads when they saw me walking past. Fortunately, they were all in their true forms so I would know what they each were, and I am sad to say that there was a Jorogumo and a few Nikusui along with a few other yokai that I knew were human killers but there were also a few who were simply wonderers or simply wished to be left alone and undisturbed. When I reached the halfway point of the hall though, I found myself looking at a black cat staring at me from its place at the end of the room.

I raised an eyebrow since something about this cat didn't feel right and it was proven right when this same cat charged at me before leaping towards me as it grew twice the size of a panther with bigger fangs and claws than one. I quickly released my starsword and slashed the body of the beast, but the second I did it turned into black mist that covered the entire room, leaving me in the dark. Fortunately, the darkness didn't last long but when it cleared, I was no longer in the dungeon and instead was outside standing on a stage meant for festival complete with support beams sticking out of the corners, with red lanterns on the tops that lit up the stage. I then noticed a pathway built into the stage leading into the darkness, so I kept my sword at the ready and made my way down the path and into the darkness.

AN: And that leaves this chapter done and but what awaits Hiccup in the darkness of the path that he is walking, what forces do Kazuya and Geni have at their command, how will Hiccup stop them and why the heck am I asking you all these questions when I'm the one who's writing the story. Anyway, I would have had it done sooner, but the company I work for is moving to a new building and I was selected to help move the stuff out and into the new office or storage and it took all day. Fortunately, it's over and I should be able to get back to writing during the free time I get during my working day so let's hope things get back to normal. Anyways, have a nice day and remember to review as I am getting pretty tired of the lack of reviews from my readers despite the fact that so many people faved the story and I love reading the reviews.