Return of the Dragons (HTTYD Fanfiction)

Chapter 12

The shot slammed into the side of The Dragon, sending it reeling. "We can't retreat!" Hiccup yelled, "They'll burn New Berk to the ground!" "Sarah, take the point! Tyler, use our stone barricades and clubs! Christopher, make attack maneuvers under the barricades! Hiccup, man the weapons! And I'll attack from above!" Annie yelled, and she scrambled up the mast.

Just 10 seconds later, the preparations were finished. And not a moment too soon! Another blast hit the stone barricade Christopher was under, sending a glowing spider web of cracks on it. There was a CRACK!, and the cannons fired, hitting the first plane full force. The blasts carved a hole in the amber armor, but barely scratched the heat proof metal that was hidden inside! "Hit it now!" Annie yelled to Sarah, then stopped. A new supply of amber had emerged, and sealed the hole!

"This is really bad!" Hiccup shouted. Another plane came into range, and Hiccup hit that one! The amber armor was blown away, and started to reseal. But Sarah was ready! She fired a neutron blast, which went through the metal and hit the battery full force. There was a CRACK!, and the plane exploded! The armor withstood the flames of the blast, which meant it was all channeled out the hole in the front! Christopher moved the boat out of the way just in time, as the explosion hit the end of the prow, knocking a small portion of it off!

In spite of this, the crew cheered. "One down, four to go!" Hiccup shouted. Then, he fired on the next plane. The amber melted off, and Sarah hit it with a neutron blast. That armor was knocked off, but the plane stayed up! Sarah gasped, as she saw what was underneath. There was bonded deadmetal, a special kind of metal that was immune to fire, cold and molecular manipulation that was created when you concentrated drained molecules into a solid form, and bonded it with steel. The only thing that could break deadmetal was another piece of deadmetal crafted from the same batch of substance. Deadmetal was exceptionally rare.

"This is really bad!" Hiccup yelled as the amber resealed over the heat armor and deadmetal. "We can't get any of these planes!" he said in despair. On top of the mast, Annie was desperately thinking. What can we do! she thought as she racked her brain for a solution. She glanced back at New Berk, and then she saw it.

The tide was at the right level, and the boat was in the right position, and New Berk was a chain of sea stacks and bays no more! Instead, it resembled a giant key. The Island is the Key, of course! she exclaimed inwardly. And where do keys go...keyholes! Annie's eyes instantly found the hole at the end of the key, which had been disguised by the tide. Everything instantly became clear. "Sarah, launch me!" she yelled, and grabbed a tent, holding it like wings against her back. Sarah frowned, but sent a neutron blast near her, and Annie flew.

Quickly, Annie was out over water. She suppressed the urge to whoop, and used the wings to head directly towards the keyhole. She made it there without incident, and landed in a roll in the keyhole. Already, there was an inch of water in the cave, proof that time was fleeting. Annie dashed down the tunnel, slipping and sliding in the dark. Eventually, Annie reached a rough door. She banged against it, but it was tough, and held firm! Of course, the line of the riddle: It's hewn rough, the door is tough! Which means, made by calloused hands is left! At that moment, she found a handprint marker, which could only be pushed by someone large and strong. That's what 'Made by calloused hands means!'  she thought, pieces of the puzzle starting to come together. But how can I get this open?

At that moment, two guards and the man in an orange tuxedo landed in the keyhole, and they began to run down the tunnel. That's how!  Annie realized, and she grabbed her axe and a shield she had taken, and prepared for battle.

It was not going well on the ship. Amber rained down on the ship, and the crew were repeatedly knocked to the ground by fireballs and shockwaves. "I don't know how much longer we can last!" Hiccup yelled, as a blast of amber temporarily blocked his view from inside the control room. "Let's just hope Annie has a plan!" Sarah yelled.

The guards and the man had reached Annie by now. But this far down the tunnel, there wasn't any light, so they couldn't see any. "Keep looking, she must be here somewhere!" she heard the orange tuxedo man bark. She smothered a start of surprise. It was the same one who had given them a tour just 3 months ago! She crept forwards, guided by the shuffling steps of the guards. Just then, an outstretched hand poked her shoulder! A guard cried out. "I've found her..." he trailed off as Annie knocked him unconscious. She returned to defensive position by the door.

There was silence, then she heard the other guard lunge for her with a sharp amber weapon, and she jumped out of the way. She and the guard blindly slashed and parried, until a small fireball whizzed by her head, and accidentally ignited a torch on one side of her. The blast had come from a flame gun in the hand of the orange tuxedo man, who sneered, and said, "No more running, little slave!" Then he fired again. 

Annie was now fighting a guard and a gunsman, without the cover of darkness, armed with a shield and an axe. The odds weren't good. But Annie was determined to beat her oppressors. She wove in an out, trying to catch the guard in the crossfire. But her attackers were too good. So when a blast hit her shield full force, Annie was forced to drop it and run. At first, the guard chased. She narrowly avoided the stabs of his weapon, and took off for the light. When she was a good distance away from him, she turned around and flung the axe! It hit the guard, and he fell. Now, Annie was faced by the orange tuxedo man. He fired at a distance, and Annie just dodged. He fired again. Annie ducked, and the blast singed the tips of her hair. When the man finally had to reload, Annie danced backwards, just out of range.

The man fired, but couldn't reach her. Annie turned and sprinted towards the light, the water now up to her knees. Shots rained down around her, and she increased her pace. At first, it seemed hopeless, then, just as Annie had planned, the man stepped on the edge of her fallen shield, and it sprung up, hitting him squarely in the shins. He yelled in pain, and collapsed. Annie turned around, and dashed towards the man. She picked up her axe from the fallen guard, and threw it at the man. 

Then, his head snapped up, and a blast from his gun knocked the axe of course. He leapt up, and pressed the gun to Annie's forehead. "You'll die for this!" he snarled. All Annie could do was freeze.

On the ship, things were not going well. The onslaught of amber just wouldn't stop. Then, a blast encased Christopher on the ship. He looked up, and saw the planes hovering above, still with most of their amber supply. "This is really bad!" he moaned, as the planes closed in for the killing blow.