Chapter Text
Here There be Dragons – Riders of Berk
Chapter 1: How to Be a Monster Hunter
A month has passed since Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III woke up from his coma, after the defeat of the Red Death, and by extension the end of the war between Vikings and Dragons. In that span of time, the Hunter’s Guild has established a Gathering Hall on the island of Berk, and Rondine the Argosy Tradeswoman had established a contract with Berk’s markets. Consequently, this allowed Rondine to converse with a number of Norse traders as well during her voyages, with a rather over-talkative man named Trader Johann being one of them. Despite his whimsical stories and overly cheery nature, Rondine couldn’t help but feel rather cautious of Johann. Like the short man was hiding something…
Oh well, she thought. Everyone has skeletons in their closet, so until she determined the man to be a threat, she would leave it alone, for now.
Stoick “The Vast” Haddock gazed upon the bustling village with a sense of pride. Normally he wouldn’t have been too keen on having so many outsiders on Berk, but then again, he wouldn’t have been too keen on befriending dragons either, and yet her he was, watching as the dragons worked and lived together with his people. Gobber still maintained his position as the smithy, but also found his calling in repairing the teeth of dragons to alleviate their pain.
His gaze drifted towards the Guild Hall. It was an impressive sight to behold. A massive, dome-shaped building, with long and narrow glass windows and brightly painted wooden panels colored blue and yellow, complete with a dark-red roof. It was a nice splash of color in what was a sprawling grid of dull, almost graying brown wood. Maybe that too would change, but only time would tell. The building itself was pretty much complete, and right now there were people inside putting on the finishing touches, placing furniture and setting up the reception desks, and organizing the quest boards.
Stoick watched as one of the first hunters to arrive on Berk stepped out of the double doors of the Guild Hall. A man who he came to despise upon their first meeting, but eventually grew to tolerate, and even enjoy the man’s company, despite the occasional headaches that he often brought with him.
Andrew held his arms over his head in a stretch as he tried to unwind the muscles in his body. He had been sitting with the Guild Maidens inside the Guild Hall for over an hour, organizing a quest board and arranging incoming quests accordingly.
In the weeks following the Red Death’s destruction, the Hunter’s Guild had established a presence on Berk at Alex’s request. The village was now inhabited by twice the number of people, with many hunters taking up residence. Additionally, Andrew had brought over several old friends in the form of his hunting companions to Berk, such as his other Palicos, his Palamutes, and his trusty Cohoot. Besides these, Andrew’s team had secured many forms of endemic life as well, most of which ultimately came from Kamura and El Gado, such as Will-O-Wisps, Spiribirds, Antidobras, and countless others.
Kuu had brought over a small collection of different endemic life from Kamura that she had trained as pets: Two Stinkminks, a Scale Lizard, and a Brewhare.
Douglas had brought over a collection of Rock Lizards that he trained to gather ores for him back when he was stationed in Kamura, and the little reptiles were so smart that they even understood human writing. He had also brought over a rather daunting array of plants and mushrooms for medicinal purposes, much to Elder Gothi’s delight. Oh yeah, that was a thing now. At some point in time, Douglas and Gothi had become really good friends for some reason. Andrew wasn’t sure how, but didn’t pry.
Riley had brought a rather unusual array of additions, in the form of a Giggi he affectionately named “Squirm”, a somehow domesticated Remobra named “Harbinger”, an artificial hive for Dracophage Bugs which he used to power one of his Hammers, and then some level of trouble in the form of a new monster: A large but still juvenile spider called a Nerscylla, which he lovingly referred to as Charlie. The elusive spider hid in the rafters of the barracks, only coming out to nab birds in the early mornings. Shockingly nobody had seen her yet...
Alex and his team had brought over plenty of their own companions as well, with Alex establishing a hive for Omenflies, Scoutflies, and Vigorwasps.
Daniel had set up a roosting station for several species of Wingdrakes, which had helped Alex’s team and many others in the New World, and once that was done Daniel began building a farm to harvest various nuts and berries for his ammunition.
William had brought over an array of Wingdrakes to roost on Berk. The large, bird-like reptiles were often used as a source of transportation by the Fifth Fleet Hunters, and William simply didn’t have it in him to let go of the lifestyle, even with his beloved Pukei-Pukei, Ozzy.
Silvia had taken similar measures as Daniel and began creating a massive farm for various plants that could be used for Ammunition.
Overall, things were moving rather smoothly for Berk, and Andrew hoped things would continue to flourish.
Andrew quickly stepped out of the way as a passing hunter exited the hall behind him. Once this was done, the captain quickly walked off towards the Training Ring.
The Training Ring, once called the Kill Ring, had lost the large roof composed of chains and metal bars, to allow for the dragons to fly in and out at their own leisure. Before long, Andrew had reached the front entrance, where he spotted the object of his thoughts giving lectures on how to take care of dragons. Right now, Hiccup was directing a group of Hunters and Vikings on how to take care of Terrible Terrors.
Andrew watched the teen with a look of pride. The boy was originally so lacking of self esteem when they first met, that Andrew honestly wondered if the boy would view any form of kindness with suspicion. Over time he began to slowly bring the scrawny teen out of his shell, commending him on his inventive skills, teaching him how to use a Charge Blade, and probably the most important thing he had done: Defend the boy.
Hiccup had lived a life of scorn and ridicule when Andrew first came here, but Andrew quickly put an end to that. He had gone as far as the publicly threaten the chief right before a raid, and even blew up on the village when they ridiculed Hiccup’s ideas regarding the dragons. Of course there were still some things that Andrew felt he could’ve done differently. He still partially blamed himself for Hiccup losing his leg during the fight against the Red Death. Common sense screamed at him that there wasn’t any way of knowing what would happen, but his heart still ached slightly, and he was occasionally plagued with nightmares, images of the boy plummeting to his death, and his trusty dragon unable to reach him.
Andrew shook his head to clear it of the gruesome images, before watching as Hiccup’s lecture came to a close.
“Now then, I want everyone here to work with their Terrors daily. Feed them, play with them, clean them, and so on. And with that, I can say this lesson is concluded.” The Hunters and Vikings all walked out with their newly acquired dragons, with Hiccup soon following. Walking next to him as if tied at the hip was his first dragon, Toothless the Night Fury. And on his shoulder was his second dragon, a green Terrible Terror named Sharpshot.
The little dragon was originally captured during one of the raids, although it would be more appropriate to say that he was scared into surrender by one of Andrew’s subordinates, Riley. Ever since then, he would follow Stoick around, before eventually settling with Hiccup, despite much protest from Toothless. In the end, Toothless relaxed and allowed the smaller dragon to be around and get attention from Hiccup, although Toothless still made it clear that he was number one dragon in the Haddock household.
“Hey, Andrew,” Hiccup greeted happily upon seeing his friend and teacher. Andrew smiled warmly.
“Hey there, partner? How’s the teaching life treating you?”
Hiccup chuckled as he rested a hand on Sharpshot’s head. “It’s going well enough. Sharpshot here has been a big help in keeping the other Terrible Terrors under control. I have to wonder if they’re intimidated by him, like with Squishy.” Andrew snorted as he choked back a laugh. Ah yes, Squishy, the yellow Terror that one of his subordinates smuggled into the barracks and domesticated.
Sharpshot paid no mind to the conversation, instead deciding to lean in towards the boy’s hand, purring as Hiccup continued to pet him. Toothless wasn’t too happy about it though.
“Oof!” Hiccup grunted out as Toothless butted his nose against the boy’s side, demanding pets.
“Yes, I know, you big baby. You’re still my favorite.” Hiccup chided as he began petting the jealous Night Fury. Toothless relented as he seemed to melt at the boy’s touch.
Andrew watched the tender moment with happiness before speaking again.
“In any case, I think it’s time you start learning some more about Monster Hunting.” Hiccup groaned at this statement.
“Yeah, I know,” He began. “But I’m not sure about actually hunting Monsters. I mean what if I end up hunting something that’s the same species as one of your team’s companions? I can’t bring myself to kill a Rathalos after I’ve known one for so long!” Andrew nodded at this. Indeed, Hiccup had grown to like Ignis, Andrew’s Rathalos. The large wyvern was by far one of the most powerful creatures on Berk right now, and yet he acted like a broody teenager on the worst of days. With such an endearing personality, Hiccup obviously would only be able to see Ignis if he were to square off with a wild Rathalos.
“Okay, so those quests will fall to somebody else to deal with, and it’ll most likely be one of my team or Alex’s. You can just deal with other ones.” Hiccup nodded slowly at his teacher’s words. “So what exactly do you want me to hunt?” He asked nervously.
“We’ve gotten a plethora of quests in already. That’s why I’ve been at the Gathering Hall since sunrise. Let’s pop on over there and see what they’ve got.”
“Okay.”
And with that, Andrew, Hiccup, and Hiccup’s two dragons were off to the Gathering Hall. Along the way they ran into the chief.
“Hey dad.” Hiccup said in greeting. Stoick smiled warmly at his son.
“Good morning, Hiccup. I hope your lessons have been going well?” Hiccup nodded enthusiastically.
“They have been! I’ve got everyone training Terrible Terrors this week. It’s gonna be rather interesting to see the end results.” Stoick nodded proudly, before turning towards Andrew.
“You’ve certainly been busy. I didn’t see you at all this morning. You’ve been cooped up in the Guild Hall for hours.” Andrew gave a sleepy grin. “And unfortunately I’m on my way back there now. I hope you don’t mind, but I’m taking Hiccup out to the Hunting Grounds. It’s high time he learned about how to combat the beasts that live in our world.” Hiccup looked down anxiously.
“I mean… I fought pretty well against that Tigrex that appeared in the village.” He mumbled out.
Andrew fixed him with a flat look. “Correction: You survived against a Tigrex. That thing’s roar addled your head so badly that you were a jittering mess into the next day. I’m still rather impressed that you weren’t concussed.” Hiccup looked down further, before Andrew placed a comforting hand on the teen’s shoulder.
“Which is why we’re starting off with something small this week. The Tigrex is a species that is usually reserved for Hunters with at least a five star ranking. You were essentially thrown right into the deep end during that fight. Rest assured, you won’t have to deal with another one of those for a while. Now then, let’s get going.” Andrew led the teen, and now also the chief, towards the Guild Hall.
Once inside, the Chief was greeted by an impressive sight. The wide open room, once empty and barren, was now decorated with a large assortment of circular tables, wooden benches, and brightly colored tapestries on the walls displaying the Guild Crest and the Hairy Hooligan Crest. There was a Canteen at the back of the Hall, meaning that it also served as a second location to hold feasts.
The reception desk was currently occupied by four quest maidens, each one wearing a different colored uniform, in blue, red, green, and yellow.
The blue quest maiden, who sported fair skin, blonde hair and blue eyes, was named Carrie. She handled Low Rank Quests.
Next up and clad in red was Jackie, a lady with a much darker complexion, brown eyes, and glossy black hair. Jackie’s red attire indicated her obligation in handling High-Rank Quests.
The quest maiden in yellow was named Sarah. She was a brunette with slightly tanned skin and piercing hazel eyes, which sometimes looked almost yellow under specific lighting. Her job was in handling Master-Rank Quests. These usually were rather rare, and more often than not delved into Elder Dragon territory at worst, and then creatures that were of comparable power at best. The day Stoick ever saw Sarah put up a quest on her own board was the day he had to worry.
And finally to cap off this eccentric quadrant was the lady in green: Maeve was adorned with pale white skin, which contrasted heavily against the many red freckles that dotted her face, and sported bright red hair and green eyes. She was tasked with handling a rather unusual set of quests: Harvest Quests. The name was pretty self explanatory. The Harvest Quests were used as week long excursions where the adventurers were able to go out to a specific location and gather materials to their heart’s content. Plants, Mushrooms, Ores, etc.
The girls all had their own differing personalities, and they showed rather quickly in how they handled Snotlout’s not-so-smooth advances:
Carrie was completely professional and polite in her response, settling for a simple, “While I appreciate the offer, I’m simply not interested as I’m actually married. I’ll gladly take the compliment though.”
Jackie was a bit more assertive in her rejection, chasing Snotlout away with a short but biting, “Boy, if you don’t get your goofy ass outta here…!”
Sarah was downright ruthless in her rejection. The brunette pulled no punches as she laid into the buff teen’s pride. “Your muscles are completely useless without a spine! If you spent as much time improving your skills as you do flirting, then maybe I’d learn your worthless name. As it is, the monsters that inhabit our world wouldn’t even take a shit on you, you’re so fucking pathetic. I suggest you start thinking with the correct head before I remove both of them and plant ‘em above my fireplace, little brat.”
Maeve was a bit nicer, but made up for that by being a little more loud than everyone else: “I ain’t lookin’ for a quick shag ye little gobshite. I got shit to do so get movin’ b’fore I trample ya!!”
Ultimately, Snotlout took the hint and left the girls alone, and clearly Sarah’s verbal lashing left a mark because even when approaching the desks for a quest, he avoided eye contact with Sarah at all times.
As Stoick took in the sights, he quickly rejoined Andrew and Hiccup at the Low-Rank Reception Desk.
“Good morning, Hiccup. And welcome back, Captain.” Carrie said politely, prompting the others to look up from their papers. Hiccup waved shyly while Andrew nodded in greeting.
“Good morning, Carrie. I know I just walked out a few minutes ago, but I’m back for a Low-Rank Quest. Preferably something that guarantees combat, and also something not dragon-shaped.” Andrew looked pointedly at Hiccup in silent explanation, to which Carrie nodded.
“I understand perfectly. We actually had a few quests come in just today” Carrie laid out a selection of quests for the Hunter and Rider to choose from.
“Well, partner, take your pick.” Andrew said encouragingly. Hiccup chewed his lip as he read each one.
‘Bullfango Infestation at the Verdant Hills.’
‘Vespoid Swarms at the Marshlands.’
‘Konchu Infestation at the Frozen Seaway.’
‘Hunt an Arzuros at the Misty Peaks.’
Hiccup looked down rather thoughtfully at the last one. The other quests entailed the idea that he would be dealing with multiple monsters. Andrew and Alex both had told him horror stories about Bullfango, so Hiccup decided against choosing that one. And whatever Konchu and Vespoid were, they sounded just as numerous.
“I guess we’ll do the Arzuros, then.” Hiccup said, looking towards Andrew questioningly, as if asking if he chose the right answer. Andrew smiled down at the boy before nodding.
“Sure, let’s go with that one, then. It should be a cakewalk.”
Carrie nodded, slapping down a wet stamp on the quest slip before looking for a writing utensil.
“How many will you be bringing?” she asked while taking out a pen to write on the slip.
“One hunter, one rider, his dragon companion, and…” Andrew suddenly whirled around. “Hey Stoick, you want in on this?” The man quickly marched over.
“What is it?” Stoick asked.
“We’re hunting an Arzuros. You wanna come with? It’s no Tigrex, obviously, but it’s still a rather impressive beast.” Stoick thought for a moment before nodding. “Alright, I guess I’ll go too. I definitely need to learn more about these creatures, and I can’t do that by staying here.”
Carrie nodded as she wrote Stoick’s name down on the slip and handed it to Andrew.
“Okay then, you’re all set. Good luck, gentlemen.”
The hunter and two vikings thanked Carrie before walking out of the Guild Hall with Toothless following behind, and down towards the docks. They would be taking a boat southeast, towards the Mainland.
As they reached the docks they came upon Kuu, who was carrying a fishing rod. “Heading off on a hunt?” She inquired. Andrew nodded proudly.
“Yup! I’m taking these guys to the Misty Peaks to hunt an Arzuros.” Kuu’s eyes lit up in excitement. “Oh look at you, Hiccup! You’re already gearing up to fight an Arzuros, I’m so proud!” She pulled the boy into a hug before grinning at Stoick.
“It’s certainly no Tigrex, so I’m sure you can handle it Chief, but don’t get cocky. One swipe from an Arzuros’s paw can knock a hunter flat on their butt!”
Hiccup winced at this statement, but a reaffirming squeeze on the shoulder from Andrew prompted him to look up at the man.
“Don’t worry,” He said. “I’m not gonna let anything bad happen to you. Same goes for Stoick and Toothless here. You’ve got three of the best bodyguards imaginable.” Stoick nodded reassuringly, although he felt rather worried. He wasn’t even sure what this Arzuros looked like, but it already sounded formidable. Toothless beamed proudly at being called Hiccup’s bodyguard, but still placed a wing over Hiccup protectively.
“Andrew, what exactly is an Arzuros?” Stoick asked.
“It’s a monster listed in the Fanged Beast category. To put it simply it’s a giant bear.” Stoick raised an eyebrow at that description.
“How giant are we talking? Because I’ve had plenty of bear hunts as a youngin’.”
Andrew smirked mischievously. “Ah, but this isn’t some run of the mill Grizzly Bear, Stoick. The Arzuros can reach heights on average of eighteen feet when standing up on its hind legs.” Stoick’s eyes bulged at the height. Eighteen feet was the average? Just what kind of bear was this thing?
Hiccup himself was already having doubts about this hunt. Andrew was making him go out to fight a bear that was more than twice his father’s height, and probably twice his father’s strength. How the hell was this a starting hunt?
With that in mind, both Hiccup and Stoick climbed aboard Andrew’s ship with a newfound feeling of trepidation.
They reached the mainland within the span of two hours. Upon making landfall the team was soon greeted by a gorgeous array of tall and narrow mountains, surrounded by a lush green forest.
“Wow…” Hiccup said in awe. Stoick looked around quietly, taking in the scenery and keeping alert for this “Arzuros”.
“Right then, let’s get moving.” Andrew said, grabbing his longsword “Iron Gospel” and disembarking from the ship. Hiccup followed closely with his Charge Blade “Blackguard” at the ready. Toothless and Stoick brought up the rear, with Stoick holding his trusty hammer in his right hand.
As they walked deeper into the forest, they were soon intercepted by a pair of Guardian Knights walking side by side. Dressed in blue Guardian Armor, and carrying Guardian Lances, the two looked rather alarmed at the appearance of Toothless.
“At ease, gentlemen, he’s just a Night Fury. But more importantly he’s a friend.” The knights, luckily, began to relax, as Toothless stood tall behind Hiccup protectively. Stoick had to bite back a snort at Andrew’s sarcastic remark. “Just a Night Fury” he says. Clearly Hiccup’s sense of humor was wearing off on the man.
“Now then, where is the Arzuros?” Andrew asked.
The left knight stepped forward with a curt salute. “We’ve managed to drive the Arzuros into the designated Hunting Grounds. The target has been attacking the passing caravans and has caused the deaths of at least three people. With the target moving closer and closer to Yukumo Village, we cannot take any chances. It has to be slain.”
“Yukumo!?” Andrew said in worry. Yukumo was the village where he first met Helen as a child. It was where he first found his calling as a hunter, before training and deploying to Moga Island. His work with the Wycademy would send him back however, during the hunt for the Fated Four and the Elder Dragon Valstrax. Ultimately, Yukumo held a lot of memories for Andrew.
He looked back at his three companions. “We need to get moving. Come on!” He addressed the Guardian Knights one final time as he passed them. “If the target has taken the lives of people then we have no choice. Rest assured, that Arzuros won’t be causing anymore issues by the time we’re done with it.” The Guardian Knights both nodded before stealing a glance at the Night Fury as it passed them by with Hiccup and Stoick.
Toothless, true to his personality, looked back at the knights flatly as if unimpressed, before pointing his nose up snootily and trotting past.
“James?” The left one said. The right one, now identified as James, turned towards his partner.
“Yes Brian?”
“Did that dragon just turn its nose up at us like a snobby rich guy?”
“Yes. Yes he did.” James answered mirthfully.
“I don’t know whether to laugh or be offended.” Brian admitted as he watched the hunting party vanish into a treeline.
“Me neither, man, me neither…”
As Andrew and his companions traversed the various trees and underbrush, they soon happened upon their destination: A camp site, looking over a beautiful view of the Misty Peaks. The area was covered in a light mist, kicked up by the numerous waterfalls in the area. This had the unintended but overall welcoming effect of created a sprawling rainbow that seemed to stretch across the mountains indefinitely.
“Magnificent.” Stoick gasped as he took in the view. Hiccup made a mental note to return here at a later date. This would make for a perfect drawing, maybe even a painting.
“Right, we’ll camp here for the night. We have the whole week to hunt the Arzuros, but I’d like to start first thing tomorrow. The target has been attacking people, and has even claimed lives according to those Guardian Knights.”
“That’s what I was meaning to ask. Who were those guys supposed to be? Or rather, what role do the Guardian Knights play for the Guild?” Hiccup asked.
“The Guardian Knights are pretty self explanatory. They are an elite corps of Knights who are tasked with guarding and protecting villages and settlements from monster attacks. Anything that the Guardian Knights cannot handle, is then passed on to the Guild Knights, the best hunters in the entire world.”
“But wouldn’t that mean that they can take this Arzuros without any issue?” Stoick said next.
“They absolutely could, but for the moment, they are really only tasked with keeping threats out of the village. The jobs fall to the appropriate hunters who accept the quests. It how our economy works. We get paid to hunt these creatures, all to protect our people, and maintain order in our ecosystem. I know that probably doesn’t sit well with you, Hiccup, but… It’s what we have to do to survive.” Hiccup looked down in thought, before nodding.
“No, I get it. I’ve definitely had that lesson beaten into me after the Tigrex appeared. I understand that what I do with the dragons of our world won’t work on the monsters of your world.” Andrew sighed in relief at the boy’s words.
“Well said.” Stoick said proudly. “Now then, why don’t we get situated here and get some rest?”
It wasn’t long until the sun began to dip under the horizon, and the four called it a day.
The next morning, Hiccup awoke to the sound of Andrew placing sticks in a nearby fire. Stoick was already awake and was in the middle of placing some fish on skewers.
“I slept in?” Hiccup said in a hurry.
“Nah, we just woke up early.” Andrew answered as he stared into the flames. Stoick carefully placed the skewered fish around the fire and allowed them to cook.
Toothless was off to the side with a pile of fish, watching Hiccup closely as he sat by the fire.
“So what’s the plan for dealing with the Arzuros?” Hiccup asked as he grabbed a fish.
“A full frontal assault. I wanna get this over with quickly. While it’s true that we have a week to complete the mission, the Arzuros is a relatively easy target, so we should be victorious by the end of today. Bottom line: I want to finish this as soon as possible.”
“You’re worried about the nearby village?” Stoick said as he lifted his fish off the fire.
“Yes, but that’s not my only reason. See, more often than not, the monsters are driven towards the designated hunting grounds so that we can slay them. This is often done by the Guardian Knights and Guild Knights. However, there’s always the chance that something unexpected might appear without the influence of people chasing it there. Monsters will occasionally enter the hunting grounds of their own volition, further complicating the hunt at hand. I wanna finish this before something stronger appears.”
“Something stronger? Like a Tigrex?” Stoick guessed.
“Tigrex, Rathalos, another Arzuros, the possibilities are endless. There was one particular monster I had to deal with constantly while doing work for an island settlement called Moga Village. It was relentless, ravenous, and had a horrifying metabolism, allowing it to kill and consume anything that moved. It was called the “Deviljho”, The Violent Wyvern. It was constantly moving from one locale to another, just killing and eating anything. I eventually killed it in the Volcanic Region, but God damn... It was a very relentless creature.”
Hiccup and Stoick listened intently as the man recounted his experiences with this Deviljho. This thing sounded far worse than the Tigrex was. Before long the three humans cleaned up the remains of their breakfast and descended the slope their camp was built on.
--------------Zone 1--------------
They came upon a small path made up of a shallow creek. Several large birds with duck-like bills were grazing through the water like flamingos, before turning their heads up to look at the arriving hunting party. Suddenly, one of the birds reared its head up and let out a trilling sound, causing the others to flee.
Hiccup and Stoick watched in confusion as the birds fled the scene.
“What were those supposed to be?” Hiccup asked.
“Those are Gargwa. Their mostly harmless.” Andrew said mirthfully as he watched the retreating birds.
“Mostly?” Stoick parroted as he looked at Andrew.
“Well yeah, any animal can still have some sort of fight to it. Like deer, for example.”
Andrew descended the ledge and began walking through the creek towards the next section of the Hunting Grounds. Hiccup, Toothless, and Stoick followed closely behind, with Toothless stopping momentarily to observe a small turtle swimming through the creek.
--------------Zone 4--------------
Exiting the creek, the hunting party found themselves at a large clearing, with a dilapidated wooden structure in the middle.
“What happened here?” Hiccup asked as he took in the sight.
“Remnants of a previous settlement, destroyed and abandoned. Nobody knows for certain what happened, but all we do know is that people were here, and now they’re not.”
Hiccup pondered this, before his attention snapped to Toothless, who began to growl in warning as several strange barking sounds rang out in the distance. Hiccup looked in Toothless’s direction to see a pack of small, purple and orange colored creatures fast approaching. They ran on their hind legs like a Nadder, but they were far smaller, and seemed flightless. They sported fan-like frills on the sides of their heads, and bright red eyes.
“What are these supposed to be?” Stoick said as he held up his hammer, bracing for a fight.
“They’re Jaggis. They’re little Bird Wyverns that hunt in packs like wolves. They can be a handful for inexperienced hunters” Andrew slowly unsheathed his longsword and also got ready for a fight.
Toothless let out a fierce roar, sending the little raptors scattering. The humans all sighed. “Well, that takes care of that.” Andrew muttered as he quickly pulled a map from his satchel. “Hmm… we’re currently in Zone 4, and Arzuros usually frequent Zones 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9. Let’s head for Zone 5, that way.” Andrew pointed off to his left and began heading in said direction, leaving his companions to catch up.
--------------Zone 5--------------
The group traversed through a thick jungle before finding another clearing. This time surrounded by thick forest and with a massive tree stump in the center. It was very wide, possible some 15 feet across. Odin only knows what the original tree probably looked like.
“Target spotted.” Andrew said, drawing his weapon once more. Hiccup and Stoick both looked ahead as they soon noticed a moving shape in the distance, lumbering towards them slowly.
The Arzuros’s body was covered mostly in blue fur, with cream-colored fur on its shoulders, and then going down the sides of its back. The bear also sported this cream-colored fur on top of its head in the shape of a mohawk. The middle of its back was lined with scale-like protrusions, and its front limbs were covered in spikes. It looked for all the world like a soldier turned into a bear.
The Arzuros reared up on its hind legs and raised its arms up in a threatening manner, releasing a guttural roar. Toothless responded with a roar of his own, promising great pain. If the Arzuros understood him at all, it certainly didn’t seem to care, as it got back on all-fours and began running at the hunting party. Andrew and Hiccup rolled out of the way, while Stoick stood his ground. The beast stopped short and rose up again.
Now Stoick felt rather silly. The damned thing was at least twice his height, for Thor’s sake!
Stoick had mere seconds to tumble out of the way as the Arzuros swung its arms forward in a lunge. Toothless let loose a plasma blast, causing the Arzuros to stagger back. Hiccup rushed forward with his Charge Blade, switching it to axe mode and swinging at the Arzuros’s back. The Arzuros whirled around and swung its left arm at Hiccup, missing him, and allowing Andrew to move in and strike.
Andrew swung his longsword at the Arzuros, only for it to catch on the beast’s arm carapace and bounce off, causing Andrew to stagger. He corrected his stance and countered another swipe from the Arzuros. This battle of swinging and blocking soon came to an end when Stoick brought his hammer against the Arzuros’s back. The Arzuros swung back around, clocking Stoick in the head and sending him stumbling away.
Toothless roared out and fired off two more plasma blasts, one of which ended up breaking the spiked carapace around the Arzuros’s arms. Undeterred and enraged, the Arzuros lunged forward and grabbed Toothless around the head, shaking him up and down. Toothless flapped his wings violently, batting them at the giant bear in an attempt to break its hold on him.
“Toothless! Hold on bud!” Hiccup cried as he switched his weapon back to sword mode and began swinging at the Arzuros’s back, charging his weapon’s impact phials and diverting the Arzuros’s attention. He quickly put his shield up and blocked a series of swings from the Arzuros. Andrew leapt forward and swung his longsword at the Arzuros’s hind legs, toppling it. Hiccup used this opportunity to switch the charge blade to axe mode once again, and activate the discharge attack as he swung his weapon around. The blasts from the attack all went off directly on the Arzuros’s head, stunning it.
Seizing the opportunity, Andrew brought his longsword down into the Arzuros’s back, leaving a series of deep cuts in the monster’s fur.
The Arzuros recovered soon after, turning towards Andrew with hate in its eyes, and roaring angrily before lunging forward in one final attack. Andrew held up his longsword as the monster descended upon him.
The Arzuros landed right on top of Andrew, before collapsing.
“Andrew?!” Hiccup yelled out as he ran forward.
The man was alright, but he was pinned under the Arzuros’s carcass. “I could do with some help here.” He muttered as he tried to pull himself free. Stoick and Toothless both worked to move the Arzuros carcass so that Andrew could crawl out.
As he exited, Andrew dragged his longsword out from the Arzuros’s chest. He had landed a fatal blow to the creature.
“Alright, let’s get the Guardian Knights down here and then we can call this quest a success.”
The two Guardian Knights were brought to the area to secure the carcass and bring it in for material harvesting. Andrew was able to carve off some bits of pelt and carapace in the meantime, and the rest would be delivered at a later date. The hunt was successful, with only minor injuries to the hunters.
Stoick now sported a shallow cut on his cheek from one of the Arzuros’s claws, and Hiccup was currently fussing over Toothless, making sure that the Night Fury wasn’t too badly hurt. Andrew was okay for the most part, although he felt rather sore from the beast landing on him in its last moments. Overall, there wasn’t much to worry or complain about.
Before long the hunting party had returned to the safety of their ship and were en route to Berk. The Arzuros carcass, with help from the Guardian Knights, was loaded up and tethered to the deck of the ship. The materials and meat would go towards the Village for whatever they needed, such as food and tools.
“That was a pretty good hunt, guys.” Andrew said proudly. “Albeit with a couple scrapes.”
Stoick ran a thumb against the shallow cut on his cheek as Andrew said this, and Toothless huffed in annoyance at getting manhandled by the massive bear monster. Hiccup ran a hand across Toothless’s head in comfort, earning a purring sound for his efforts.
“And that was one of the easy ones, you said?” Stoick inquired. Andrew nodded matter-of-factly.
“Yep. Technically I should’ve started you off with something small, like those Jaggis that appeared in Zone 4. But I figured that would’ve been seen as an insult more than as a challenge, so I opted for something bigger.”
Hiccup looked down in thought.
‘That Arzuros was massive. And it’s clearly got some power to it if it was able to grapple with Toothless. If that was one of the easier monsters then I don’t wanna think about what the stronger monsters are like. If they’re anything like that Tigrex, then… ’
“You okay, partner?” Andrew asked, snapping Hiccup out of his thoughts.
“Uh, yeah. Just thinking is all.” He smiled bashfully, Andrew and Stoick shared a look but didn’t pry.
“We’re nearing Berk.” Stoick said as he spotted the aforementioned island appearing on the horizon.
“Here’s to hoping that the others haven’t burned anything to the ground while we were gone.” The chief lamented, earning a snicker from Andrew.
“As if the Quest Maidens would ever let that happen. Carrie would probably talk them out of it, while Sarah and Jackie would beat their heads in with blunt instruments. Although, Maeve definitely strikes me as the type of person to watch the chaos unfold, with popcorn and all. She might even take part in the destruction.”
Upon reaching the docks and disembarking, Stoick was greeted by Spitelout.
“Where ‘ave you lot been?” Spitelout said as he quickly noticed the scar on Stoick’s cheek.
“An’ where did ya get that!?” He exclaimed. Stoick chuckled before clapping Spitelout on the shoulder
“Ah, just a little slip up. I tell ya, Spitelout. The raids are over, but there’s still plenty of big fights around every tree. Go up and have a look at what we just had to fight. In the meantime, I gotta arrange for some extra hands to bring the beast down here.”
Stoick walked off towards the village while Spitelout reluctantly went up onto the ship, gaping at the sight of the Arzuros carcass.
“WHAT IN THE NAME OF THOR IS THIS???”
The meat and materials were divided up, with Douglas making a bearskin tunic for Stoick, and even using some of the Arzuros’s pelt to make a couple blankets for the two Haddocks. He also made Stoick a set of Dual Blades, the Cerulean Axes. Stoick found them to be quite effective.
Today was a good day, Andrew surmised. And he hoped that those days would continue to be good.
In the Northeast, a storm was brewing among the mountains. Treacherous terrain and lack of human civilization meant that nobody would be unfortunate enough to be caught in this horrid storm, but that would soon change. If anyone had been able to see through the blackening clouds, they would have witnessed a silhouette flying in the core of the storm.
A deafening roar rang out in the darkness as the storm seemed to change course, moving southwest towards the sea.