Chapter Text
"Pardon?" Viggo cocked his head, confusion breaking through the determined scowl on his face.
"I'm not leaving you here. You don't get to be a martyr, Viggo. I'm not gonna leave you behind." Hiccup pulled his sword off his back, the blade igniting with a bright flash. Viggo's eyes widened, then narrowed. Hiccup glared right back, before locking his eyes with the hallway, listening to the heavy footfalls of the hunters approaching them. He tensed his back, holding his sword in a ready position, the blade's fire twisted and crackled, as if eager for the heat of battle. Viggo growled, reloading the handle and flicking on the blade's fire.
"Hiccup, we are enemies you and I. You are wasting time here. You must leave, now!" The hunter grimaced, hunching as he held his sword at the ready, his blade crackling menacingly in harmony with Hiccup's, hungry for blood.
"I don't let people die."
"The string of bodies you have left behind begs to differ." Hiccup's eyes widened a fraction, then fell back into a glare.
"Count yourself lucky then. You are not going to die here." Viggo shook his head, eyes wide at the sheer audacity of the rider in front of him, a small chuckle rumbling in his throat. Hiccup wanted to break the man's nose, even just to tear the small smirk off of his face, the weird awe in his expression. As if he never expected this. He should know better.
A clang and screech filled the air, closer this time. The sound of a sword clanking against stone, the sounds of crossbows being reloaded. Viggo stepped in front of the teen, blocking him with his sword, a warning on his face, directed to the rider. Oh how dare he. Hiccup shoved the man's arm down, gnashing his teeth together.
"Hiccup, you need to go! This is pointless!" Oh Thor. It was like talking to a stone pillar! What will it take to get to this guy!?
"Gah—do you ever stop talking? Get it through your head, Viggo! I am not going anywhere!" Viggo met his eye to the rider's, taking in the sheer determination in his gaze. Viggo met the man's glare head-on, neither flinching, until-
"There they are! Fire arrows!" Men stormed through the hallway, arrows flew towards the pair, their eyes snapping towards the men with the shout. Hiccup held his sword up in a blocking position, knocking a few out of the air before ducking out of his dragon's way.
"Toothless, plasma blast!" The dragon roared at the order, slamming the men with a direct blast, blowing several men against the walls. Blood streaked down the wooden walls, shining in the firelight and smelling of iron and death. Hiccup sat up, pulling Viggo close to him, out of the way as the arrows buried themselves in the wall where he once stood. A frustrated yell followed, the hunters trying desperately to reload their crossbows.
"Skrill, fire!" Viggo yelled, the mentioned dragon spread its wings wide, lightning filled the room as a powerful blast incinerated the rest of the men in the hallway. Hiccup was in awe as the dragon listened to Viggo, for a moment, but shook himself out of it. Now was not the time. Hiccup pulled Viggo down behind a small wooden table, avoiding the arching beams of death that emanated from the powerful creature.
Hiccup pulled Viggo's arm around his shoulder, sure the hall was clear after the earth-shattering blast. More men seemed to be nearing their location, if the hollering and banging of iron and wood were any indication. Hiccup darted down the corridor as fast as he could while carrying a man double his size, dragons faithfully in tow. Toothless growled as his ear-flaps rotated quickly, trying to pinpoint the sounds coming down the hallway.
"Where to?" Hiccup yelled. Viggo didn't respond, just looking blankly at the corridor in front of them. Hiccup felt a shudder as he looked at the listed face of the man. No, he couldn't be going into shock. Hiccup shook him as hard as he could in such circumstances, getting close to his ear as he yelled.
"Viggo!!"
Light once again entered the hunter's eyes as he snapped out of the daze of shock, meeting Hiccup's eyes with a hint of dread and confusion. Great. This was not good. They needed to get out of here and get him medical attention now.
"Where are we going?" Hiccup said, quieter this time, his voice shaking slightly It took a moment, but Viggo weakly pointed to the hall next to them.
"Left, then right. Once you are to the crossroads, there's a room on the right you can leave from." Hiccup nodded, pulling the injured man with as much speed as he could muster. As he turned the corner, he was met with a row of hunters blocking the hallway, weapons ready as they grinned at the riders, as if they won. Yeah, right.
Oh come on! Hiccup thought, gritting his teeth. They needed to get out of there. They couldn't let them stand in their way. Before Hiccup could gesture for Toothless, however, a yell came from his side.
"Skrill!" Another blast of lightning filled the hallway. The smell of petrichor and burning flesh filled their lungs. Hiccup felt a grimace form on his face at the putrid smell and what it meant, but this meant their path was clear. Hiccup hurried down the now clear corridor, avoiding the smoldering bodies which scattered the floor, faces and clothing only red and black blurs as he focused on what was ahead of him.
"Hiccup! This is foolish." A voice quietly said next to him, hauntingly grave. Hiccup had to strain to hear it, but it filled him with rage all the same.
"Can you just be quiet! This is not the time for arguing!" More hunters escaped the rooms around them. "Toothless, flash 'em!" A bright light blinded everyone in the corridor. The hunters groaned and yelled as they quickly covered their faces from the bright blast. A perfect distraction for them. Hiccup ran down the hallway, blinking the stars out of his eyes as he scanned the room, analyzing every inch of it, how their were 4 hallways now, and how each and every one of them were filled with dozens of hunters.
They were completely surrounded.
The hunters snickered, raising their blades. Hiccup growled at them, sounding so very much like the dragons he adored as his heart thudded heavily in his chest. Viggo carefully pushed himself off of the younger man, holding his blade up defensively.
"Very well then. If you won't go then, Týr willing, I will fight and fall by your side." His voice was dark, resigned. Hiccup grit his teeth. Yeah, that was not how this was going to go. They would both get out of here, alive.
"Oh don't be so melodramatic—look out!" Hiccup blocked an arrow headed towards Viggo's back, unwilling to add to the collection he already obtained earlier. The riders and their dragons met back to back, the four taking one hallway each. Hiccup heard his blood pounding in his ears.
The hunters charged.
"Behind!" Hiccup dodged an arrow that flew past Viggo's shoulder before swinging and meeting blows with the hunter before him. Hiccup grunted before throwing the man off of him. A symphony of screeching metal and roaring from both man and beast filled the hallway. Each man that he took out, another seemed to take his place. Exertion started to make the man's hands shake. He took another man out, before looking back at his accomplice.
He was met with the sight of a hunter nearing Viggo's left, into his blind spot. His sword was raised high.
"To your left!" Viggo looked to his side, locking blades with the larger man. Hiccup stabbed the man in front of him, before he noticed the Skrill charging up a powerful blast, lightning rippling across its body. Hiccup charged forward, forcing inferno into the meat of the hunter's arm that held Viggo in place. The man let go of his sword with a screech, letting Viggo finish him off with a quick blow to the neck, silencing his cries swiftly. Hiccup then rushed forwards, noticing a man about to impale Viggo. No, not on his watch.
He quickly silenced the hunter with a bash to the temple with pommel of his sword, before looking back to the Skrill. His eyes widened. She was about to fire at them, behind them.
"Down!" Hiccup forced Viggo to the ground as hard as he could, trying to be careful but clearly not succeeding in doing so as the man groaned underneath him. He couldn't worry about that now, though. "Toothless!" Hearing his brother's distress, Toothless let go of the man he was currently tearing apart and leapt onto the hunkered down ex-chief and heir.
A significant blast of lightning filled the room, not just at them, but in all directions. Toothless, protected the duo the best he could, lowering his head to the floor to avoid the brunt of the attack. Hiccup felt his hair stand on end at the electricity coursing through the room. Screams of agony filled the room, before everything fell silent, the sound of crackling flames and moans of pain the only noises that echoed in the halls.
"Hiccup." A tight voice rang out from under him. Hiccup sat up, his dragon's wings unfurling. Hiccup's heart froze as he took in the sight of the man under him. The arrow lowest on his back now lay next to him, the wound now gushing crimson in its absence. When he shoved him down, he must've tore it out, somehow. He grit his teeth. This was not good. Time was up.
"O-ok. Oh gods. Hang on, Viggo. Hang on!" He reached into his belt, pulling out a wad of linen he kept for situations such as this. He apologized before pressing a wad into the man's back. He quickly wrapped the wound as best he could, the hunter writhing in pain as he did so. Hiccup quickly took off his belt and wrapped it around the man's chest, locking the linen tightly into place on the wound and hopefully stopping the blood flow. Viggo looked at him, remorse and that other, deep and devastating emotion dancing in his eyes as he looked into Hiccup's own.
"Ah.. Hiccup... This is it. The end. I..." The man mumbled, before slumping forward, dropping his sword on the ground with a shallow clink. Hiccup's heart felt as if it stopped in that moment.
"Viggo! No! Not now! Get up!" Hiccup frantically shook the man's shoulder. He could hear reinforcements running closer. "We have to go! Come on!" He hefted the man onto his shoulder once more, panicked eyes glancing around the hall, before spotting the one Viggo specified. He looked to the man, then to the Skrill, sitting behind him with a death glare on its face. He huffed, before laying Viggo on the ground.
"Augh—I'm gonna regret this." Hiccup mumbled, before looking to the Skrill. The beast growled threateningly at the sight of him. The only man that a Skrill has ever trusted flung on the back of someone who attacked it. Great. How could he do this?
"Ahh. Nice Skrill... Oh come on..." Ok. Ok. A semblance of a plan came to his mind.
"Ok, you need to help me pull him onto Toothless. Can you do that big guy?" The dragon hissed, before nudging its rider lying on the ground. The cacophony of sounds drew closer. The rider tried to grab the hunter again, attempting to lift him himself. The Skrill snapped at him. Hiccup stared back, pleading.
"Please, just help us. Your rider is going to die. We need to leave. Now. We are trying to save him. We're his friends. Come on!" Hiccup tried again to pick up the hunter. The dragon glared, then huffed, finally relenting. Gently, he picked the hunter up by his tunic's shoulder, making the man release a grunt of pain. Hiccup finally hoisted the man's legs over the Night Fury's back, and leapt on himself, nodding to the dragon. He quickly tied the man's legs to the saddle with his extra linen.
Just in time, too.
"FIRE!" The men who managed to gather down the hallway aimed their crossbows at the group, firing a barrage of arrows. Toothless jumped to the side, dodging most of them. Most.
Hiccup grunted in pain as one lodged itself into his arm.
"AGH! Toothless! Go, go, go! C'mon, Skrill, come on!" He screamed in effort, trying to block the pain out. They flew down the hall, charging the large wooden door on their path to freedom. A net launched towards them, blocking the exit.
"Net! Wait, fall back!" Hiccup called. It didn't help. They barreled right into the thing, falling haphazardly on the floor. Viggo slipped, landing on his head in the grass. Hiccup cried out as the arrow lodged in his arm was violently pulled out. Luckily, adrenaline made the pain quickly subside, he had to be careful though. Adrenaline was dangerous. He didn't know how bad it was. Hiccup hoped the hunter didn't take any more damage from the fall. He shook his head. No time to think about that now. There was a group of hunters coming.
"Oh Thor! Toothless, cover him!" Hiccup told Toothless, who nodded his head, already raising his wing, covering the incoming hunters view of the man. Just barely in time. Johann walked forward, a small contingent of hunters at his back. The Skrill screamed from the entrance, charging a shot.
"Shoot down the Skrill!" Johann yelled to his men. In unison, several dragon-root arrows, more than he has ever seen hit a dragon like this, lodged themselves into the Skrill. Hiccup grimaced as it writhed for a moment, before it fell to its side, unconscious.
"Ah Hiccup, nice for you to join us!" Johann. Hiccup glared at the man, before yelling as loud as he could. Toothless fired a shot into the sky, a whistling plasma bolt lighting up the night. Johann looked at him, unimpressed.
"Oh was that all? Oh how pitiful! Your plan fails and a yell is your final words? I expected more from the great Hiccup Haddock the Third!" Johann scoffed, rolling his eyes at the trapped rider. Hiccup smirked, trying to hide his true concern behind his steady facade of confidence. Then, he spotted something behind the man. Something that gave him hope.
Thank Thor he wasn't stupid enough to come alone.
"Actually, it was Viggo's pathetic plan that failed! Oh, and by the way, I wasn't yelling in frustration." Hiccup locked his eyes behind the man, watching as a certain Zippleback grew closer. The hunters grunted in confusion, Johann looking back with narrowed eyes.
"Comin in hot, and blowing up snot!" A yell rang out. Fireballs fell from the sky. Several hunters scattered at the sight. Johann growled at the sight. He was frustrated. Good.
"Ruff! Tuff! Over here!" Hiccup yelled, waving his hands. Johann snapped his head back to the boy, growling, before running for cover. The twins flew over their heads, blowing copious amounts of flammable gas. A perfect cover. Hiccup threw the net off of himself and his dragon. He pushed Viggo with as much force as he could onto the dragon's back once more. The linen fastenings holding him to the dragon's neck made the job much more manageable. He quickly got on Toothless and gently took off, before meeting the twins excited stare.
"Hiccup! What took you so long? You nearly missed our awesome record breaking snot blast—woah, is that a Skrill?!" Ruffnut said. Hiccup rolled his eyes. Now was not the time. They had to go.
"Not now. Can you grab the Skrill?" He asked. The twins gave him a cocky grin in return.
"Ohoho, our fierce leader, asking for our help to carry a dragon of mass destruction? Very well then! Witness our glory!" Tuffnut yelled. Barf and Belch grabbed the unconscious dragon, hoisting it above the clouds of Zippleback gas. Hiccup met them in the air, Toothless warbling as he glared down at the base with his rider.
"Alright! Take them out!" He yelled.
"What a fine idea! I was just thinking the same thing!" Ruffnut said, her dragon realeasing more flammable toxins. Her twin chucked as he pulled on Belch's horn.
"Fire in the hole!" With that, the area exploded with a shattering bang, raining ash and fire from the obliterated base. Hiccup grinned. We survived he thought, before looking back at the man who was slumped behind him. Urgency filled his veins at the pallor of the man's skin. They were running out of time, fast. They had to go.
"Toothless! Let's get out of here!" He said, concern painting his voice with a tremor. His dragons let out a warble in return, beating his wings as they flew back to the Edge, their nightmare over. But it seemed a new one was beginning.
And with that, they were on their way. It didn't take long, however, for the twins to notice his unfortunate passenger.
"Woah Hiccup! There's a hunter on your dragon!" Tuffnut yelled, brow furrowed as they flew closer to him to get a better look. Hiccup sighed.
"Yeah, yeah. I know. We are taking them back to the Edge."
"The Skrill too? Awesome!" Ruffnut yelled in joy, taking the news in stride. Her twin wooped.
"Oh, oh! Hiccup, our fearless leader taking the enemy and the offspring of Thor to the edge? How scandalous! You are finally a true servant of Loki! I'm so proud of you!" Tuffnut grinned, ash darkening his face and hair.
"Our lessons in Loki-dom have paid off, finally!"
"Now's not the time guys. He's hurt, badly. They both are. We need to hurry back. Think you can keep up with us?" Hiccup knew the answer before he could fully say it, even when he knew he could go faster than the Zipplback, he had to fly with them, and time was of the essence. Goading them on was an important strategy if you needed them to do something. It was good to know they would try their best if there was a challenge involved.
"Oh Hiccup, you dare underestimate the awesome power of our dragon?"
"I think the real question is, can you keep up with us?" They immediately started flying as fast as they could. Yup. Predictable as always, thank Thor. He leaned closer to his dragon, sending a worried look to Viggo. He was looking worse by the second.
" Ok. Let's just get out of here, Bud." Hiccup lightly squeezed the dragons sides, urging him to go faster. As he suspected, the twins lost their lead almost instantly. He would usually slow down a bit more to fly side by side, but they had to hurry. He looked down at the pale cold hands he held around his waist, a sense of urgency mixed with worry filling his entire body.
"Hold on, Viggo. You can't die. Not yet."
Quick art I made for the chapter ;D
