Chapter 324

It's been a week since my meeting with the gods and the award ceremony, which was a long one, that followed but it was all worth it to see so many of the men get their just rewards for all their efforts in fighting against the taotei. Each of the commanders were given a position of generals of various territories with strategist Wang being promoted to a war advisor to the emperor himself. Peng was promoted to a commander under general Shao since as I learnt, he'd gone after a few taotei who were chasing after some nobles and distracted them long enough to escape before killing them himself after luring them into a narrow alley. As for William and Pero, they were offered commander positions in the army or all the black powder they could carry along with a cavalry escort home. Both William and surprisingly, Pero chose the commander positions with William requesting his be under general Lin in the northwest territory and Pero asking to join him there. William I could understand since he and Lin clearly had feelings for each other but Pero, when I asked him, he simply claimed that someone had to watch out for William when he did something crazy. When I asked them why they didn't choose the black powder, they explained that their home really wasn't a stable place since they'd simply be moving out of it again in a month or two after getting back and this way they'd get paid well, regular meals and have a home that didn't change every week or be forced to work for corrupt rulers.

I could respect this and as for me, I received numerous the numerous designs for the equipment they used on the wall like the catapults and the pullies they used for the crane corps, an expensive looking Chinese vase depicting the fight on the wall against the taotei and a chest of gold. The final gift though, much to my surprise, was a large statue of the queen taotei with two guards on either side of her and a group of her soldiers in front of her. Ling Cho told me that they knew I always brought trophies back from my battles and although they could not give me the body of the queen or her minions which were better off destroyed, they figured this would be the next best thing. I smiled and agreed with him since I was grateful for this gift before I was able to bring out the chest that contained the gifts from the gods, I was told to give everyone and what was inside surprised me since there were only eight circle shaped jewels. Each jewel was the same color as the commander's troops colors with the same animal engraved on them except with Strategist Wangs just being grey, Williams being brown and Pero's being green. When I handed them out though, their true power was revealed with each of the jewels taking on new forms that would be of great use to their owners.

General Shao's gem turned into a black iron sword which with a bear head at the beginning of the blade that had its jaws resting on the flat end and this blade could cut through anything and if he ever lost hold of it he'd be able summon it back to him immediately and in addition to all this, it could launch its slashes to attack enemies at a distance. Commander Chen's jewel on the other hand turned into a bow with two bows at the top that looked like flaming wings, a string coming down from each to meet with the single string at the bottom, where the wings met is an eagle's body and head with a ring going around the bottom of the wings and a leather grip. This bow turned whatever arrow was loaded into it into pure solid flames that spread like crazy whenever they hit their target but never burning Chen. Commander Deng's jewel turned into a spear that had a head made of purple crystal and at the bottom were to ends sticking out of the sides with short pointed ends, all held in place by a long golden band wrapped around the pole with engravings of deers running around it, a silver staff is what the band wrapped around and at the bottom was another identical band. Ability wise, it could launch the head with enough force to smash through stone and if he stabbed it into something, that something becomes light as a feather to him. Commander Wu's jewel turned into a large metal hammer that had a wooden handle and iron head that had a tiger's face carved into the flat ends and filled with pure gold. This hammer could be used in both combats, striking an enemy with enough force to send them flying and strike the ground to send a shockwave that would make foes fall or in the forge after shrinking it down for pounding metal and keeping it hot.

Following these three commanders there was the jewel given to commander Lin's which turned into a full grown light blue crane which then flew and sunk onto her back, wrapping its legs around her waist and pulling its head in to rest on her upper back. This crane could spread its wings allowing her to glide with its beak being able to extend with the tip being pushed out with a pole on its end which Lin could pull out to reveal a spear. When she stabbed the spear into something, it'd let out a blast of wind back at her that would get caught in the wings, giving her a large boost up while the spear she used would turn to dust and the crane would form another. Then there's Strategist Wang whose gem turned into a large blank piece of parchment with six small gold diamond until he mentioned the location on the wall and that's when the parchment came to life with a full white projection of the wall and the surrounding area appeared. The gold diamond then went to different parts of the map and changed into the color of the troops and then projected the number while one diamond remained spinning on the edge and after a quick check up of the area, we discovered it would show enemy locations. Along with this the diamonds would project numbers along with the number of troops and what they had on them like weapons and weapon users.

Then there's the two mercenaries turned commanders with each of them receiving their own weapons that would serve them well in their new roles. Williams jewel actually absorbed his bow and quiver with the arrows before taking the form of a dark crimson bow and in addition to it being unbreakable, all he had to do was pull back on the string and an arrow of light would form which would either kill the target or knock them out depending on his intention. Paro's sword was pulled in and became a shining silver sword which could cut through iron easily and when it blocked a foes weapon, they'd immediately shatter on impact. When Paro wondered out loud why their weapons didn't have as many abilities as the commanders, I told it was probably because the commanders had been serving the people and gods since they were young while they'd jumped from boss to boss.

Following that I spent time helping them all get the hang of their new weapons by hunting bandits in the wastelands and bringing them in with all they had, including their horses which were given new homes in the stables. I'd also used this as an opportunity to test out my enhanced equipment and the new gifts I was given by the gods and not a single one of the items disappointed me. The first thing I did was summon my jade warriors and was surprised when they formed on the backs of jade lions that were in Chinese style design. My shock didn't last long as it was quickly overtaken by my desire to see what they were capable of and I was not disappointed in either their speed, which matched the fastest horses or their strength which was twice that of a lion but like their riders, they weren't invincible. Fortunately, their riders could also dismount them, meaning I'd gained a few extra troops who would also be able to serve as mounts which gave me a cavalry.

The enhancements to my mask weren't anything to laugh at either since it could remain as my kitsune mask, it could now also take the form of a demonic mask which resembled and Oni with two outward curving fangs from the top of the mouth, two fangs coming from the bottom, two curved horns coming out with red flame patterns on the bottom and more red patterns decorating around the eyes with the red paint appearing like curved blades beneath it. This mask to put it bluntly looked terrifying and not something to be messed with, but it allowed me to make sense of the buddha's words from when he gave my mask the enhancement. When he claimed that before one can win the battle against an opponent, they must first win the battle within themselves, he wasn't referring to the battle within me but the battle within my opponents. This mask gave off an intimidating aura according to the commanders and with it there was no problem spooking the bandits to catch them off guard, making them easy opponents to deal with but when they overcame their fear, they attacked so it wasn't all easy even though they did hesitate a little.

My bo staff on the other hand now looked to be made of solid jade with a Chinese dragon wrapping around both ends, ending with the heads wide open maw being the ends of the staffs with the horns and manes made of bronze. Wrapping around the parts that would separate on the edges were intricate bronze carvings that resembled flowing winds while the chains that connected the joints were also made of jade. Ability wise, it could now strike with enough force to send a gronkle flying with a single thrust and that was just a light thrust from a foot away when I tested it. The short blade that could form at the end now took on the form of Shuang Gou Lian Qiang spear head so when I pulled it out of an enemy, it'd do a lot more damage and just stabbing it into a boulder caused it to crack up before I pulled it out and it fell into rubble. In addition to all this, the dragon's heads could now breathe out a green fire that could burn things to ash in seconds or leave my opponents unconscious for six hours.

My ice claws had also taken on a new form and were no longer five rings connected by a thin chain and instead was a long but thin gold band with a green Chinese dragon on it with a silver wire going over the top and a jade ring on either side connected by a thin wire, with three claws connected to the gold band. The way it worked is the pinky and pointer finer would go into the rings while the two other middle fingers would go through the wire and gold band with the band resting on the palm and the claws would fit between the gaps of the fingers. To activate their abilities, all I had to do was close my fist and apparitions of three fingered dragon claws that were big as my dad's torso would form around my hands. I could then control these claws as if they were my actual hands while my real hands remained closed until I willed the claws to disappear and then I could reopen them. As for the claws, they were strong enough to crush a boulder into pebbles with a squeeze and throw it like a catapult showing the true power of a dragon. Of course the power of the Yuki-onna was still within the claws and it showed when a single slash left ice covering the wounds, a stab froze my foes and the claws had the ability to make icicles from as long as my forearm to as tall as me or ice balls the size of my fist to the size of a gronkle, all within their grasp which I could then throw at enemies. This would come in handy in not only fighting large groups but also ships since they were just as good as any catapult except for the weapons on my ship.

As for the new items I was given, the golden puzzle container was also something that I knew would save me a lot of time when I'm raiding enemy bases or bandit hideouts since I always had to take their treasures. The container was actually able to gather all the treasures and valuables into it by first turning them into dust which would then flow into it with me not needing to lift a finger and what's more it could do so to treasures buried underneath tons of junk so there was no chance of missing it. The tiles on the container would then spin until some were in a row with the words glowing to tell me what the container had just pulled into it which would save me the trouble of doing inventory. When I wanted the treasures to be taken out, all I had to do was press the tile with what I wanted to come out until the word glowed red and then twist the bottom handle and point before the dust would flow out into organized piles which would save me a ton of time.

The bronze clam shell had its own abilities that were both impressive and terrifying at times and its abilities were as expected related to water, since it did come from the goddess of the ocean. To begin with it could create water in the form from a simple drizzle to a spray that is twice as powerful as a scauldrens blast to the point that it could blast through solid gronkle iron as if it were nothing, so I decided to keep the power down when dealing with humans. Along with that, the shell could just release an entire flood so I could use it to flush out entire enemy bases since I could literally just have the shell release its floods from a high floor and the entire building would be flooded in seconds, pushing all enemies out the front door. The main reason for my decision for this though isn't how it can blast water but how it can take water as well and not from just the open areas where water can clearly be seen but also from living creatures like plants, animals and even humans. I learnt this by accident when I was trying it out and ended up using it on William and Pero but before it could completely dry them out, I stopped leaving them unharmed, but incredibly thirsty to the point that they drank enough water to fill a tub before they yelled at me about what I did to them.

Following that was the drum which I was able to examine and found it had black iron clouds decorating the body, black bands with bumps on the edges, a silver rope wrapped around the top beneath the band and the top was dark blue with a white shuriken like symbol on it while the sticks were made of black wood with brown leather grips. As for its ability, when played alone it caused clouds to form with the sound of thunder and lightning coming down from above causing some damage which made me grateful that I was testing it in the wasteland. When I used my African drum alongside it, I ended up summoning a very powerful lightning storm and the harder I beat the drums then the stronger the winds would blow, the harder the rain falls and the more lightning strikes, creating a storm I'd hate to be caught in, especially if I was on a ship in the ocean.

The golden ring I was given by Guan Yu was also impressive with an ability to create single earrings which had a small clip for the upper part of the ear with a wire that's linked to a small bronze circle shaped piece with a green gem in the center that rested on the earlobe with a small part sticking out. These earrings weren't made for fashion though since they had an ability which would make the kids future raids on bandit camps a lot easier. The reason for this is all someone had to do is hold the gem while saying the name of a person who was also wearing one of the earrings and then they'd be able to communicate with them as if they were standing right next to each other, even if they were on opposite sides of the building. This meant they'd be able to warn each other of coming threats, check up on each other and more and I'd be able to communicate with them myself when watching and making sure they had each other's backs in those situations. Sadly, the earrings only last six hours before they turned into dust and were completely useless so like many of my other items, they were a one-time item.

Then there's the chest that was given to me by Zhurong which disappeared as soon as its contents were gone and what was in the chest were multiple grey dragon scales. At first, I admit, they didn't seem like much at first, but I learnt their power was impressive and would work well with my sentient metal discs. They could fly off me before growing to a size a little bigger than my hands and then fly around to take on various forms of shields, so they'd be able to protect me or my allies when they needed, and they weren't just for defense. They could also be used in the form of attack in the form of coming down on enemies with enough force to pierce gronkle iron as if it were nothing. I could use these when dealing with large groups of enemies, especially when I knocked their power down a bit to the point, they could not pierce metal but strike with the force of a gronkle to knock someone out. I'd already used this technique to deal with a lot of bandits who were on horseback and knocked them all right off their horses and blocked their arrows from hitting the people who were with me by creating a shield. What's more they were like my sentient metal items so I could hide them on different parts of my body like how I hid my sentient metal needles and discs in my coat while my tail would remain stuck to my back unless I brought them out. I had the scales shrink down and line my coat since they just looked like a part of it and helped add to its intimidating appearance while also assured that they would be able to be released when needed.

Finally, there's the zouwu who I'd given the name Chang who rarely ever left my side since he preferred to remain by my side rather than go near the people who I surrounded myself with. It was understandable since his kind was known to try to keep away from people since in the past there had been those who hunted them down for various reasons including corrupt rulers who wished to make it seem as if their rule was just. I'm guessing poor Chang was just a little nervous about how some people might try to use him, and I could not blame him since there'd been no less than twenty nobles who tried to buy him from me a day after the award ceremony. Still, he makes a good playmate for Toothless so there's not much problem with keeping him tamed since I had the feeling, he'd also be a good playmate for the kids.

As for the box Mistress Chi Metsu which I was able to examine and found it to be a white chest with dark blue indents all around it with white patterns carved onto the blue pars and a white snake slithering all over it with its head at the front, acting as a lock. No matter what I did, I couldn't open it which means whatever was in it was for Xiu and Xiu only so if I wanted to know what was in it, I'd have to ask my daughter to show me. I just hoped she'd like it since if it was a weapon then it could be a while before she accepted it since she'd proven to prefer the more peaceful hobbies to fighting.

Besides that, when me and the commanders felt we'd all gotten the feel for our new equipment and brought in an army's worth of bandits from the wasteland who were sentenced to either prison or hard labor, the commanders gave me a great honor. General Shao pulled aside and explained that with the Nameless Order now disbanded, he had no use for something. This something was the pendant of the Nameless Order, a gold pendant with five circle cut gems in the colors of the different divisions with the name of the corps on them. I tried to return it since it was only to be given to the leader of the Nameless Order, but he told me that I'd played a big part in not only ending the war but saving many lives, recovering countless treasures and ensuring the safety of the world for years to come and for that I had more than earned it. The other Commanders who were present along with William and Pero were all in full agreement so I accepted it and promised to tell the story of all that happened to my village so it may be passed down for generations to come, including the tales of their own bravery. Now though, Toothless and I were in the room through the portal doors looking at the door which would lead to home, and I could not be happier as I turned to him and said.

"You know bud, as crazy as our lives get at times, I'm grateful for it since it always means the worlds going to live to see another day and we've been a part of something that saves millions of innocent lives." He growled and nodded. "The best part of our adventures though is getting to go home to our loved ones for some relaxation and a few good times with our families." He crooned and nodded making me chuckle. "I'm guessing you're looking forward to seeing your queens again oh king of dragons." He turned and gave me a slap with his ear fin making me chuckle. "I'm just teasing you bud since I'm also looking forward to seeing my wives again since Chiaki is due to give birth in a few short months and then Astrid will join her in bringing in another member to the family." I looked into the distance while wondering if I'd have a new son or a new daughter given to me by two of the girls I love before I turned to Toothless. "You ever think that maybe it's time for you to settle down with your girls and start your own family." He looked at me startled before looking away nervous. "Haven't brought it up with the females yet I take it?" He just looked down before I patted his head. "Don't worry bud, it's true being a parent is not an easy task but it's always worth it in the end." With that said, we made our way through the portal door to home to spend time with my family.

6 weeks later

It's been six weeks since I got back from China and in that time a lot has happened, starting with me unloading all my gifts from the emperor into their proper places. I started with the dark magic imbued items that I'd gathered from the taotei's nest since the sooner those things were locked up, the better it would be for all of Midgard. Then came my rewards from Chin Wu, starting with the statues of the taotei which were placed in the trophy room with the pendant of the Nameless Order in front of it on a statue of a neck and chest behind a flexible glass case while the vase was put in the art room along with the other pieces Chin Wu allowed me to have from the taotei nest while the gold went into the treasury. Following that was my reunion with my family and introducing Chang who before I took him to live in the bamboo forest, but I could tell he was already well liked by the kids, especially by Xiu who began petting him when he walked up to greet them all. He now roams the bamboo forest, enjoying the bamboo and playing hide and seek with the kids when they're in that area having fun.

Following the introductions I went to New Berk with the family to let my tribe know that I was back and once again, a threat against the world had been dealt with. As anyone could guess, they were all impressed by the Nameless Order and how well they were able to stop the taotei while also being so willing to sacrifice themselves for the chance to protect their own. My dad and Gobber were mostly focused on the catapults and the cranes used for the crane corps and as expected, when I was done showing the memory, they demanded a meeting to discuss them. When it came to the treasures in the taotei's nest, Snotlout asked if I'd gone insane when I handed them over to Chin Wu to help pay for the repairs done to the buildings, land and help the people rebuild their lives. I simply shrugged and told him that my allies needed it more than I did and besides that, I still have plenty of gold at home that was just sitting in the treasury gathering dust since I really had no use for it most of the time. He tried to tell me that I could just give it all to him then, but I just sarcastically told him 'Nice try' before I continued with the illusion while his mother slapped his head.

The moment I left the Great Hall my dad pulled me aside to begin discussing how we could use the designs to improve New Berks' defenses despite the place basically already being a fortress as it was. I couldn't blame him for being cautious since he was chief, and the protection of his people always came first and a little extra security from the catapults wouldn't hurt. The crane corps' cranes though weren't going to be used for lowering our people but help bring them up fast when they needed to retreat and also used to help bring things up to New Berk since they were a little more advanced than what we had. After that I immediately began making plans alongside Daedalus so we could use them on New Berk and redesign them while also figuring out how we could set up the catapults without risking damage to my own island. I also sent the designs to the Berserkers and Defenders of the Wing since they could also use the defenses when trouble came around since the catapults were more effective than their own as they got more distance. In the end, I redesigned most of New Berks cranes for the docks, basing the new design on the one for the Crane Corps' cranes and built some in the mountain that was on my island. I also built the catapults into the wall with the entire system like the one they had at the Great Wall resulting in the mountain becoming practically hollow since the arms were so long and they'd launch from beneath my island, but it was worth it to ensure the safety of New Berk.

Then there's the chest I was to give to Xiu who had no problems opening it and what was in it surprised all of us since it just looked like a Chinese hairpin that was pale pink in color with four greyish purple jewel flowers with pink purple gems in the middle and three light blue gems hanging from chains connected to a piece that had hanger on the flowers. Xiu loved it and had Blanca do her hair in a small bun at the back where she could place the pin, and I admit it did suit her but a day later we learnt it wasn't just for beauty as it was also a lot of weapons wrapped in one. To begin with the end of the pin could be pulled out to reveal it was a handle and the rest of it was a sheath for a very sharp needle like blade that was clearly meant for stabbing and was easily able to pierce gronkle iron. Along with this the blade was able to extend to the size of her forearm so she'd be able to use it as a sword if needed and in addition to this it leaked a venom that could paralyze or kill depending on what she wanted and that was just one of the weapons that pin held. The flower petals could be removed and thrown before they break on impact, releasing a small cloud of gas that knocks the victims out for six hours, but the petals grow back. As for the crystal, she just has to slam one onto the ground and it creates a blinding flash which would leave its victims blind for a few seconds while Xiu would have no trouble seeing despite the shine. I'd already had her do drills in the mirror with it and she'd shown to possess skill that was growing fast and when mixed with snake style kung fu it would be a very powerful combination.

As for her siblings, they kept up their training while I was away, and I am pleased with their progress with Hunter spending a lot of time all around the island to practice with his axes in the different environments. From what I'd been told and seen, he'd even taken to swinging around in the trees of my Mayan jungle using his axes as hooks, climbing the glaciers in the arctic section , running through the forest while hitting targets that swing at him, climbing the dunes in the desert, all while under the supervision of Havard and whoever called the part of the island home. Still, he got a few bumps and bruises along the way, so it was no surprise that both his axes and his armor were ready for enhancement after I took him and his siblings on a bounty hunting trip after I got back. When he got his armor and axes back from the silver dragon, they'd both changed a lot and would be a lot more helpful to Hunter.

The armor didn't change much but it gained shoulder guards in the shape of the top of wolves' heads complete with muzzles and covering his whole shoulder. Ability-wise, in addition to protecting his shoulders they also acted as a warning system, growling whenever someone with ill intentions was nearby and they'd helped him a few times when we were bounty hunting and were being led into an ambush. His axes on the other hand had gone through a major enhancement which I believe was influenced by how he'd been spending his time training to handle some of the various lands of the island. The axes were still able to keep their fire element connected to their new abilities and how they're used while their form kept their wolf-based design in a way. They were now metal handled with a snarling wolf head at the top and could collapse into short forearm long staffs, with the heads facing upwards but when in axe form, the head lowers down with the mouth opening and releasing crystal shards that merge to form the blade and shatter into dust when they go back into staff form. Ability wise, to begin with while in the staff form, the heads could breathe a small concentrated stream of flames that were useable as welding torches or to cut through metal. In addition to this, when the axes were thrown, they immediately began spinning rapidly to the point they looked like a single round blade and could slice through stone like a hot knife through yak butter without pulling in the chains and if they were ignited, then I wouldn't want to be on the other end.

Brant's dagger also went through an enhancement with it taking on a blue color with light blue tips and dark purple bodies and a crescent moon facing in at the handle to form a circle around it. Now both ends could extend to the length of a machete and a single stab from them could leave the victim paralyzed while also being able to pierce any armor as if it were nothing. Along with that, the blades could also sink into the rings making it look like a chakram with the handle in the middle which Brant could easily hook onto his belt.

Chara's equipment in the form of her armor, gaining her mask no longer covers just her mouth but a mask being able to be pulled down to cover her eyes with eye holes. These eye holes, in addition to being able to help hide her face, could also form dark blue lenses over them which had their own abilities. For starters they allow her to check long distances like spy glasses but the ones I made to check different distances, and they also allow her to see in the dark as if the torches were lit. Her kunai belt had also gained a new form that rested on top of her hands alongside her grappling claw which rested below her arm but while the rope was meant for long range combat, this latest piece was made for close range. This enhancement granted her a two bladed katar dagger that springs out whenever she wanted it to and had the ability to pierce gronkle iron as if it were nothing so a deadly striking weapon. Fortunately, it could also just stab into the victims leaving no wound but also either knocking them out cold or paralyzing their entire bodies for six hour.

Egil had also been training hard, and his boots powers had grown stronger, gaining an ability that required a lot of practice and would be helpful in the future. The boots could now freeze the ground they were standing on with a distance of fifteen feet around him and if he focused, he could form a thirty-foot-long path of ice that goes anyway he wanted. This ice was incredibly slippery to the point that even I had a hard time balancing on it while Egil had no problems walking on it as if the ice didn't, meaning the foes he faced would be easy to take down.

Amina had also been training harder than ever but although her sword style had greatly improved, they weren't ready for enhancements yet. It hadn't all been combat training for her though as she'd also been busy in her private room studying the poisons of not just the snakes and scorpions but also the poison dart frogs, and some plants used to create poisons and medicines with plans to bring in poisonous fish for a glass case she wanted. She's also taken to spending a lot of time in the library, reading up about various medicines, medicinal herbs, poisonous animals, antidotes and so much more including various ways of healing. She'd even been spending entire days with Gothi, helping her tend to our wounded with Gothi advising her on how to tend to some of the more serious injuries.

Along with her both Zephyr and Kubo had also been training hard which is why Zephyr was now able to tap into the magic she inherited from her mother and gain acrobatic skills she shouldn't be able to touch at her age while Kubo's control over the talismans had improved. I decided I'd give them both the chance to enter the golden dragon armory to see what they'd each walk out with and I was not disappointed with what either of them came out with. Zephyr walked out proudly wearing a vest with leopard spots decorating it while leopard claws served as the buttons which could be hooked through openings to close the vest. Ability wise, at this point it just served as good armor being able to protect her torso from blows, making them feel like gentle slaps but I had the feeling that this vest was going to grow into something more than just a piece of armor.

Kubo on the other hand came out with a new eye that replaced the one he originally lost to his grandfather when he was first born but this eye, like the eye of the dragon was better covered since it was a little hard to look at. This eye was gold with a purple gem in the front serving as the iris and pupil and in addition to it being rather eye catching it had some abilities that would help in the future. In addition to allowing him to actually see, even through his eye patch, he could also see great distances as if he were using spyglass through it which made sending out his talismans to the right target.

As for my gifts from the gods, I'd been using them for multiple things, mainly bounty hunting and have rounded up a lot of bandits and looted a lot of their bases. On one occasion when they were in an old, abandoned fortress, I used my bronze clam shell to flood them out by having Toothless land us on the top floor after setting up a large web at the entrances and then releasing a full flood from the clam, sending all within the fortress swimming out and right into the pit. After that I simply had to use my shadow to collect the now soaking wet and very confused bandits into my shadow before they could recover. It wasn't all about the weapons though since the gold puzzle container did help me raid enemy bases, but it also helped me during my underwater raids on sunken ships since I could then swim out and use the container to take all the treasures within that my loot sharks couldn't get to while also making the sorting of the loot easier. I'd been able to gather more sunken treasures than ever before thanks to it and sort through it in a quarter of the time it normally took me before I got the container.

Now though, it was nightfall, and I was in my library pacing while my father, Gobber, Bill, Brant, Egil, Xiu, Zephyr, Amina, Kubo and Raiden watching with my dad holding Ajmal who was silently sleeping in his grandpa's arms. I couldn't blame him for sleeping since it was nearly midnight and the reason, he was here instead of in bed sleeping is the same reason everyone else was here with everyone looking nervous. That single reason was because Chiaki was in bed upstairs, screaming her lungs out as she brought the first child born from our love into the world. As Viking customs ordered, no males were allowed in the room while the woman birthed the child, so only my wives mother, Gothi, Verta and Moll were inside with her alongside Chara, Robyne and Mebh who were old enough to witness and help where they could. Along with them there is also Chiaki's mother Asami who had come by a few days ago when Chiaki sensed that the time for our child's birth was coming, and she wished for her mother to be present for it. Now it's been five hours since Chiaki went into labor and I'd been going mad trying to keep calm since even with all my training to remain calm in situations, nothing could ever destroy the worry I had for my wives when they were bringing new life into the world. It was then Raiden spoke and said.

"Hiccup, would you kindly sit down and relax a bit as you are making everyone dizzy." I turned to him.

"It helps me cope with the fact that one of my wives is in pain and bringing my child into the world while there's nothing I can do." Bill then said.

"You can try planning a trip somewhere for just you and the wives when the newborn is old enough to not need Chiaki to nurse them anymore." I raised an eyebrow. "Just think about it, since in all the time I've known you, you've always gone on trips by yourself which end up becoming adventures or trips with your family but never have you gone on one with just your wives for a little romantic time." My dad then said.

"He's right son, you need to take time out to not be a father, heir, chief in training, blacksmith and everything else and just be a husband." I sighed and nodded knowing they were right.

"I get that but it's not easy since whenever we leave, we always worry about the island, the village and especially the kids." Brant then said.

"Dad, we understand your worried, but me and my siblings are old enough now to look after ourselves and our younger siblings, so it'd be alright for you guys to just take off for a few days and have some fun on your own." It was then a voice from the door said.

"That fun is going to have to wait." We all turned to see Verta walking in with a smile on her face. "Chiaki is officially done with her task." I felt weak in my knees as I walked up to her.

"Are Chiaki and the baby alright?" She smiled at me.

"Don't worry, Chiaki is doing fine, and the babies are perfectly healthy." I smiled before I realized what she said.

"Did you just say, babies as in more than one?" She held up two fingers.

"Chiaki just finished delivering the second of a pair of twin boys." The shock was too great for me as my father laughed as he walked up and slapped my back while congratulating me and telling me good work, but I fell to my knees in shock before Verta chuckled. "Come on you, nervous wreck, you take on beasts that could eat most men alive in a single gulp and yet you fear going to see your wives as soon as they're done bringing your child into the world." I shook out of my shock.

"It's a big event for me, especially when it's not one but two babies and the first ones to be born from me and one of my wives who has yet to give me a child." She nodded before Bill walked up and said.

"Well don't keep her or the little ones waiting Hiccup, the new little ones are probably wondering where's their father."

I smiled and nodded before I stood up and made my way out of the library and up the stairs where Chiaki would be waiting with our newest additions to the family. I'd done this multiple times before when my other wives had given birth and like always, I had to grip the railing to keep myself from falling over until I reached the top and found all the women waiting outside the room smiling. I walked past them and slowly entered the room through the open door and was greeted by the sight of a tired and sweat-covered Chiaki sitting up in the bed holding two wrapped up bundles in her arms. She gave me a smile a quietly said.

"Come and say hello to your new sons Hiccup."

I slowly walked up to her side in the bed, and she gently handed me the bundle in her right hand with the opening in the bundle showing a pair of orange fire eyes staring up at me from beneath a little head covered in golden blond hair with streaks of brown. I then looked at the second bundle and saw a pair of bluish green eyes staring at me with short white hair covering the head as the eyes looked up at me in curiosity. The most surprising feature though were their ears which were on top of their heads and weren't human but little fox ears covered in the same hair as that on their heads. I couldn't help but smile at the little ones as I said.

"Welcome to the world my sons." They just continued to look at me confused before I gently handed the little one back to his mother. "I think it best we save introductions for tomorrow since by the looks of things, you need to rest and so do the little ones."

She nodded in agreement as I walked up to the crib that had been set up and placed the son, I was holding within it before walking back to Chiaki and taking the second one and placing him on the opposite end of his brother. With that done I gave Chiaki a quick kiss and wished her a good night after thanking her once more before leaving the room to let everyone know what had happened and bid them all goodnight.

AN: And Chiaki has finally given birth to the first blood children born between her and Hiccup with Astrid being up next to give birth and before any of you say anything, I'm sorry this chapter wasn't that exciting. I just wanted to tie up the loose ends from the last chapter, get the gifts out of the way and finish off Chiaki's pregnancy while also giving out some enhancements and new gear. Next chapter will have a bit more action in it I promise so please review kindly as I truly enjoy reading the reviews and am a little disappointed that the last chapter only got 2 reviews so hoping for more this time. Have a nice day and review kindly.