Mysteries Beyond (Dragons RTTE Fanfic - Sequel to Deception)

Chapter 2

Neither of you dared to say a word, as the shadow beneath the clouds fluctuated in and out of visibility, each time its silhouette becoming more definite. You exchanged a worried glance with Viggo and then Amethyst. Both Amethyst and the Skrill had their teeth bared, and remained alert as the shadow continued to follow them from beneath the clouds. You didn't know what to do. You felt that if you tried to escape, whatever was following you would give chase. On the other hand, you couldn't keep on like this forever. Eventually, the cloud cover would break and you'd be completely exposed. You stared carefully at the shadow. Was it a dragon? Something about not being in the Archipelago made you even more on edge, as your realized it could be anything.

Suddenly, the shadow raced ahead of you, rippling the clouds slightly as it went.  You managed to glimpse its figure beneath the clouds beyond. Both Amethyst and the Skrill quickly drew to a halt, and hovered in midair for a moment, trying to anticipate the shadow's next move. Then, whatever had been casting the shadow suddenly burst through the cloud cover. A huge, crimson dragon erupted from the clouds to tower above you, it's owl-like features and piercing yellow eyes startling you. You noticed four powerful wings that kept it airborne, with huge , hooked talons at the end of each. This dragon was like nothing you'd ever seen before, and easily dwarfed your dragons. Upon the dragon's back, you glimpsed a figure too. There, standing impressively  on the dragon, was a person with a wooden staff raised in the air. The person was not at all distinguishable, due to the thick, heavy armor they wore. The rider wore a teal mask, with dragon-like spines protruding from the crown. They also had a long, red cape that flickered violently in the wind, produced by the dragon's powerful wing beats.

You were completely awe-struck, and unsure of what to do. The dragons seemed the same way. Mesmerized by the huge dragon before you, you didn't notice the dragons approaching from behind. In a swift swoop, you saw a Monstrous Nightmare clasp Viggo's shoulders between its talons, lifting him from the Skrill. The Skrill reacted quickly, turning round and growling fiercely at whatever had taken his rider, however two other dragons (a Zippleback and a Rumblehorn) soon took hold of the Skrill, rendering it flightless. As you saw the Monstrous Nightmare turn with Viggo, you instinctively leapt from Amethyst's back to grab on. You would have made it, if you ankles had not been clasped by yet another dragon. It was difficult to tell, but you were almost certain your ankles had been clasped in the talons of a Razorwhip, which was now flying, along with the other dragons, following the lead of the huge, four-winged dragon. A quick glance upwards confirmed your assumption, as you saw the unmistakable silver sheen of the scales on the Razorwhip's underbelly.

"Amethyst!" you shouted, willing your dragon to somehow save herself before she too was captured. But it was too late. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw a Typhoomerang grab Amethyst. From your position upside down, it was hard to see what exactly was going on. The frigid winds blew against your face, now that you were no longer shielded by the cloud cover. The dragons flew confidently, as if they had flown this route many times before, and knew exactly where they were going. You didn't bother to struggle in the Razorwhip's talons. First of all, you knew it would be useless, and even if you did manage to struggle free, that would simply be resigning a fate to the ice-coated ocean below. Besides, a part of you was intrigued to see where these dragons were so purposely flocking to.

Your hair blew against your face, as something came into view up ahead - something which the dragons seemed to be flying towards. You squinted a little, to try and make out what it was, and tried to block out the howling winds all around you. As you approached, you could see what it was a little more clearly but, even then, you were still confused. There, stretching upwards from the ocean seemed to be a jagged, elliptical structure of ice, jutting out of the sea. It looked at though a huge wave had been thrown up into the air by the ocean, and the wind had simply frozen it there.

You were approaching the ice structure at speed now and, for a second, you half thought the dragons were going to crash straight into the shimmering sheet of ice. At the last second however, the dragons dived down, making your stomach flip, to enter the ice structure through a crevasse. You were thrown free of the talons that help your ankles, and you managed to just about twist in midair to land in a crouching position (rather than your head). The cavern around you was dim, and your head was still spinning from being upside down for so long. You heard three thuds beside you, as Viggo, Amethyst and the Skrill were dropped too. Looking around, you could see dragons of all sorts surrounding you. The light reflected off the walls of ice, creating just enough light for you to see. You dizzily got to your feet, and put out a hand to help Viggo up, as his injuries were taking their toll. Amethyst and the Skrill took defensive positions around you; the Skrill giving a low growl to warn the dragons behind you to stay back, while Amethyst stood protectively in front of you, to keep the dragons ahead of you at bay.

The good news was that at least the dragons didn't seem to be attacking at the moment. However, you were keenly aware that that could all change very quickly if you made a single wrong move. You wondered where the mysterious rider on the huge, four-winged dragon had disappeared to. In all the rush, you hadn't seen where they went. Almost in answer to your thoughts, the mysterious figure revealed itself before you, walking between the dragons that surrounded you. Up close, you could see their features in a little more detail, yet their armor still hid anything that could even remotely aid you in determining who they were.

"Who are you?" you questioned, trying to keep your voice even, showing confidence but not arrogance. Your question was ignored, as the person edged towards you even more.

"Where have you brought us?" Viggo added in a similar tone. It was impossible to tell which one of you they were looking at, due to their mask. Normally, you would have drawn your sword, but you were sure that wouldn't help in this situation. Viggo seemed to understand that too, as he kept his own sword sheathed. As the figure approached even more, Amethyst and the Skrill studied the individual inquisitively, but did not seem at all alarmed, as if they knew something you didn't.

You saw their hand tighten around their staff, as though they were conflicted and thinking deeply.

"You." you heard come from behind the mask in a muffled voice, which was hard to make out. You searched her, baffled, and searching for the context. The stranger removed their mask to reveal a woman with auburn hair, and an expression of anger plastered on her face as she stared at the dragon hunter tribe crest on Viggo's belt.

'Uh oh...' you thought to yourself.

"W-who are you?" you asked again, stuttering as you felt a little awkward interrupting the glare she was now directing vehemently at Viggo.

"That doesn't matter." she snapped, "What does matter is the fact that you are dragon hunters." she added angrily, and raised her staff. Both Amethyst and the Skrill stepped protectively in front of you and Viggo, blocking her path to you.

"Yet," you continued in a softer tone, and lowering her staff, "these dragons seem to be loyal to you. That's not something I've witnessed in dragon hunters before."

"That's because we're not dragon hunters." you declared.

"At least, I'm not anymore." Viggo said quietly, almost as if he was ashamed.

"What do you mean?" the woman asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I do not wish to deny the fact that I used to be a dragon hunter." Viggo said without trickery, "In fact, I once led them. But, since then, I have come to respect them as equals. I have this young lady to thank for that." he concluded gesturing towards you.

"I don't understand." she said suspiciously. "I have learnt from experience that people seldom change.  What reason do I have to believe you?"

"You can see that our dragons are loyal to us." you endeavored to explain. "If there was some way to prove that to you-"

"There is." she replied bluntly, seemingly not convinced by your argument.

"And what exactly would that be?" Viggo pressed.

"Follow me." she simply said, disappearing down a tunnel behind you. "But know this," you heard her voice echo louder than before from the darkness, "if I find you guilty, you will pay the heaviest of prices for it."

A/N: Hi guys! Hope you liked the chapter! Also, I have a question for you: what age do you think Viggo and Ryker are? I don't know why, but I've just always wondered about that, as it was never mentioned in Race to the Edge. Comment what you think below!