Chapter Text
“This is Berk. It’s twelve days north of Hopeless and four degrees south from Freezing to Death. It is located solidly on the Meridian of Misery"
”My village; in a word, sturdy. It’s been here for seven generations, but every single building is new. We have fishing, hunting, and a charming view of the sunsets.
”The only problems are the pests. You see, while most places have mice or mosquitoes, we have…
”Demons.”
The loud crash of a fireball startled Owen into attention. He grabbed his sword, bow, and quiver from the weapon rack on his bedroom wall and stormed outside. The night sky had turned a bright fiery orange as flames danced through the village. The echoes of screams and battle cries filled the night. Shadowy figures flew between the embers, dropping bursts of flame on each house they passed.
Owen nocked an arrow into his bow and launched it at the nearest demon he could see. It dropped from the sky and crashed to the ground with a thud. A nearby sword plunged through the demon’s heart before it could get up.
“Thanks, Owen!” Kyle called, retrieving his sword from the demon’s body.
“You know that was a team effort!” Owen called back. “Half a point for each of us!”
“Fine,” Kyle grumbled, “But I swear I’ll beat you this time!” He sprinted away towards the heart of the battlefield. Owen followed a few feet behind him and nocked another arrow into his bow. Winged shadows flew beneath his feet. When one of them passed just below him, he turned his bow up to the sky and let the arrow loose, sending another demon plummeting to the ground.
A familiar figure passed by him who threw a knife into the air, hitting a demon right in the vulnerable spot under its wing. It shrieked and dropped to the ground next to the young boy who brought it down. Another knife pierced through the demon’s heart, and the boy yanked it out as soon as the demon’s movements had ceased.
“Great job, Oeca!” Owen shouted as he passed by. Oeca gave him a triumphant smirk in return. All around him, braziers were raised into the burning sky, their flames illuminating the dark figures that swirled above them. Arrows flew into the air while demons dropped from the sky like flies. Owen joined in the fray, launching arrows at every demon he set his eyes on. One dropped by his feet, fire sputtering from the palm of its hand. In one quick motion, Owen unsheathed his sword and sliced the demon’s neck.
Someone called his name somewhere in the crowd. Heeding the call, Owen ran passed dozens of fallen demons towards the source of the voice. A boy with black hair and large yellow glasses waited for him outside of the village workshop with a large wooden contraption beside him.
“Do you think there’ll be one tonight, Mohwee?” Owen asked as he approached the boy.
“Surely. This is a huge raid,” Mohwee replied. “I’d be surprised if one didn’t show up.” He cast a glance at the sky.
Owen patted the wooden contraption. “Well then, are you sure this thing works?” He asked.
“Didn’t we test it out yesterday?” Mohwee asked.
”It never hurts to be cautious,” Owen replied with a smirk. “Whatever. It’s about time we took this thing out for a spin.”
Killing a demon was easy enough. Tieflings were the easiest of them all; weak, scrawny, and can only produce a flicker of flame that could barely light a house on fire. Even an untrained soldier could kill one.
Regular demons were a little harder to kill, but not by much. Even with a little more fire than tieflings, they were still no match for someone like Oeca, and they definitely didn’t stand a chance against a trained professional like Owen.
Onis are often considered the grand prize. They’re giant mindless brutes that kill everything in their path with large bursts of flame and giant metal axes. Their lack of brain was their main weakness, however, making them easy pickings for some of the smarter soldiers.
But the ultimate prize were the demons that no one had ever seen. Fast, strong, powerful, and considered the offsprings of lightning and death itself. These demons were called-
“Fury!” Someone shouted.
“Get down!”
A huge blast of blue flame struck the tallest catapult. In a matter of seconds, it was engulfed in flames, and it wasn’t long before the whole thing toppled to the ground. The unseen foe flew out of sight at the speed of lightning.
“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a target,” Owen said with a grin. He put on a burst of speed as he sprinted through the village with Mohwee pulling the contraption behind him. There was both excitement and fear in the air after the Fury’s attack, and it wasn’t long before another catapult burst into flames.
Owen’s eyes caught on a lone catapult looking over the ocean. “That might be its next target,” he said to Mohwee. “Come on!” He grabbed onto the contraption’s handle, and with his and Mohwee’s combined strength, they had enough time to make it to the overlook.
Mohwee set up the contraption as fast as he could, aiming the net launcher to face towards the stars. He stepped aside just as he finished, allowing Owen to take his place. His hands wrapped tightly around the handle and lowered his eye right to where he could properly aim.
It felt more like stargazing than hunting. All he could see was the giant net of white dots blinking in the dark sky and there was no sound that indicated that the Fury was nearby. Then a shadow passed across the stars; small but noticeable enough.
Suddenly, the shadow dived and the familiar screech of speeding wings pierced through the sky. Blood started rushing through Owen’s ears and his heart beat like a drum that sends waves of anticipation and fear before the beginning of a battle. His fingers tightened around the triggers, so much so that he was sure that if it was a person, he would’ve choked them to death in a matter of seconds.
The catapult beside him erupted into flames. A black blur zoomed past. In a panic, Owen pulled the trigger, leaning back with all of his weight as the launcher sprang into action. He fell back to the ground just as a piercing scream echoed through the night. A trickle of blue flame fell from the sky like a shooting star and landed right in the middle of the forested island that neighbored Berk.
Did he… hit it? Owen sat up. There was no more sign of the Fury anywhere in the night sky. He stared at where the blue flames had vanished beneath the trees. It took him a moment to really process what just happened, and then, finally, it sunk in.
“I hit it!” He cried. He leapt up and shot his hands into the air. “Mohwee, did you see that?” He turned around, but his friend wasn’t facing him at all. He was staring off into the distance, paying no attention to him. “Mohwee?” Owen called, feeling a stab of anger.
Mohwee gave him a sideways glance, and his eyes were wide with fear. He silently mouthed the words “Run,” just as a giant red Oni emerged from behind the hill with its fangs bared and eyes glinting with murderous intent. Mohwee sprang out of the way as the Oni slammed its humongous ax into the ground, narrowly missing his leg.
Owen drew his sword and launched himself at the monster. The Oni roared and swung its ax. He dropped down as the ax barely grazed the tip of his curly hair. He whirled around and slashed at the Oni’s ankles. It roared in pain and collapsed onto the ground, clutching its injured legs. Owen scrambled to his feet and ran down the hill, trying to catch up with his friend who was already yards ahead of him.
Behind him, the Oni let out a terrible roar. Owen glanced back just in time to see the Oni’s hooves catch a grip on the dirt. It rose to its feet, its ax clutched in its claws and its eyes locked fiercely on Owen. It let out a low rumbling growl as it bared its sharp teeth.
The Oni let out another battle cry as it pounded the dirt with its hooves. Recognizing the signal for attack, Owen dived out of the way as the Oni plowed down the hill. It swung its ax in an arc, the tip of it barely scraping against Owen’s arm. A thin trickle of blood dripped from the fresh wound that Owen wiped away with a single swipe of his hand. He raised his sword, his eyes fixated on the Oni’s weak spot on its legs when a larger, sharper sword pierced the Oni’s heart from behind.
The demon let out a frightful scream as it toppled to the ground like a collapsing tower. Its claws lost its grip on the ax as it fell, causing it to drop to the ground with a heavy clang. A large, muscular man tore the sword out from the Oni’s body. Mohwee was cowered behind him along with Owen’s other friends: Kyle, Oeca, and Bek, but Owen paid no attention to them. He was focused on the Chief of Berk, his heart pounding.
“Dad, you won’t believe it!” Owen cried. Should he sound formal? Excited? But his father had already locked eyes with him, and he knew it was too late to decide now that he had his dad’s attention. “I- I shot down a Fury!” He nearly slapped himself in the face after saying that. Why did he have to stutter? Now he sounded like an idiot!
His father raised an eyebrow. “Did you?” He asked in a gruff voice.
Now Owen wasn’t even sure if he could actually speak well anymore. His hands were shaking, and he felt as if his voice would quiver if he opened his mouth. He couldn't worry. He shot down a Fury, there’s no reason his father shouldn’t pay attention! He shoved all his worries out and took a deep breath. No time for weakness.
“Yes, I did.” Owen said firmly. “It went down just below Raven Point. I can go right now and retrieve it-“
“Tomorrow,” his father interrupted. “It’s late, son. You need to rest.” And that was it. He simply walked away without saying another word.
Kyle stepped forward, and so did everyone else. “Owen-“ Bek started, but she was quickly cut off with a “Shush” from Kyle.
Mohwee stepped forward again. “Owen I- We- we really thought it would work,” he stammered.
“No, he’s right,” Owen said. “He’s looking for proof! He didn’t see me shoot it down, and he’d think that Mohwee is biased if he ever tried to prove it. I have to go out tomorrow and bring back that thing’s head, and then he’ll see.” He tried his best to hide it, but his eyes were burning with tears that desperately tried to escape from behind his eyes. He was sure that his friends could see his balled-up fists and his reddened face, however.
Everyone’s eyes were on him, and all of them looked worried. He couldn’t show weakness in front of them, not in a million years. Kyle reached out toward him, but Owen stepped away. “I- I’m going to go to bed,” He stammered. Owen heard his friends call his name as he whirled around and ran towards his house, but he had no intention of giving his friends a chance to say another word to him that night.