After the event ended, Toothless and Amber excused themselves, while Charcoal talked with Henry the Woolly Howl.
For Charcoal, they were normal conversations, mostly catching up what they had been doing in their lives. Henry clearly enjoyed his time in Wodensfang's army. Once the time was up, they went on separate ways.
In case of Toothless and Amber, the two dragons worked together to plan her way to sneak into high security place. The more it was discussed, the more they realised Toothless knew way too much about the supposed highly secret facility.
After the plan was made, along with what was needed, Amber left to Hidden World.
Charcoal took the handbook with him. He kept them inside his Storage Crystal for safekeeping. While he had yet read more than few pages, he was fascinated with expectations the book had for their readers. He would be reading more into it.
The day after the event, Charcoal went to Furious' lair. The young dragon was summoned for routine check. It was common for greater alpha to pay attention to them, mainly because Night Furies were endangered species.
It was especially important because of the Dreaded dragon Flu epidemic happening across the region.
"... nothing unusual." Charcoal gave his report. He was inside Furious' lair, speaking to his father. The old Night Fury was in his smaller form. "We're expecting one or two eggs."
Furious looked deep in thought. "Just estimation?"
"For now." The young dragon nodded. "We're still trying to figure out how many eggs there could be."
"Hrr..." The old dragon seemed to hum. "Charcoal, I heard you had a gathering event yesterday. They called them Memorial Day, was it?"
"What about it?"
"Did you bring your mate?" Furious questioned. "Some of the attending dragons were brought to quarantine last evening. They were sick with Dreaded Dragon Flu."
"I... yes." Charcoal hesitantly nodded. "It's worrying, but she's not sick, if that's what you're implying..."
The greater alpha dragon glowered at him. "Charcoal."
"She said she had one before." The young dragon quickly elaborated. "She said she's immune."
"And when was the last time she caught the flu?"
"Roughly few years ago."
"Charcoal, that's not how it works. Yes, they can recover by themselves, but it has a risk." Furious patiently explained. He was internally annoyed. "You don't become immune for recovering; you become resistant. Help Kelp is the only cure and immunisation against the disease. Both only lasts a year."
Charcoal could only stare with wide eyed expression. The greater alpha dragon continued speaking. "Those are for the lucky ones." Furious further explained. "If they don't recover quick enough, they'll get wing paralysis, and that will ground them for life."
"I- I trusted her and-!"
"Just bring her to the infirmary."
The young dragon quickly rushed out from the lair, heading to reach for his nest. After he left, Furious exhaled his breath. "Harr..." He was exasperated.
The infirmary was built in Dragon Island last year as part of their defence effort. They were meant to treat the wounded in the upcoming war against foreign invaders. It was not even open yet. However, given the situation, they were forced to open them earlier than planned.
Toothless' sickness might become complicated with Charcoal's condition. He would most likely be there for his mate, meaning that it was not possible to separate them. He thought of a solution, before remembering something about him.
'Hiccup is trained as a hunter. It's common for them to leave indefinitely.' Furious thought, mentally formulating the plan. 'Berk should be fine with it. He could bring back something as proof of his absence.'
With that in mind, the greater alpha dragon went to work. He needed Charcoal to work one last time before freezing his transformation. It should work just fine.
It turned out Furious' concern was correct; Toothless caught the disease. Charcoal found her coughing and sneezing and having trouble moving around. He had to carry her from the nest to Dragon Island, where she would be treated.
When that was done, Furious requested him to deliver message to Merciless in Greater Archipelago. Charcoal agreed, given the content of the message. They ran out of Help Kelps; most were given to dragons treating the sick. They had asked Merciless for the goods. He had yet given a response.
The next day after that task, Charcoal was watching Toothless through small cavern holes. The dragoness was resting in the middle of cave clearing, illuminated by a small fireplace. Her body was limp; her wings were on her sides. The only sign of life was her slow breathing.
Charcoal was saddened to see her like that. She made terrible judgement, and he believed her. The male dragon wished that he was smarter. The incident could have been avoided, had he known how the disease worked. He could have stopped her.
"Charcoal..."
The male dragon blinked. He reared back, before looking around the place. He was at a large cave path, with several branching paths that led to the sick rooms. There were dragons around the place, but it was mostly empty because of quarantine. He wondered who called his name.
"Charcoal..."
It was then he realised that it came through his bond with Toothless. Pulling her in, he felt her presence entering his mind. She could see through his eyes and ears. That was a strange feeling; it felt like someone standing behind him.
"Toothless?" Charcoal questioned. "Are you okay?"
"Thank the skies, you pulled me out." Toothless expressed her relief. "What happened? I feel very weak all sudden. Everything was painful until... what happened?"
The male dragon exhaled his breath. He moved to peek through the small cavern holes. Toothless was still there, lying on the ground. "You caught Dreaded Dragon Flu."
Charcoal felt Toothless' disbelief. "I caught it?" She realised. "But... it doesn't feel like one. It felt more like Eel Pox."
"Dreaded Dragon Flu is more lethal to pregnant dragons." Charcoal explained. He faltered at that thought. "If you don't recover quick enough, you can get wing paralysis, which will ground you for life. Dragon eggs you birth have... more chance to come out as duds."
They fell silent. Charcoal could feel sadness and regret through their bond. While her presence was in his mind, her mind and body remained. The best he could do was easing her pain. They need to wait until their turn to get a Help Kelp.
Eventually, the dragoness responded. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be." The male dragon replied. "You don't know."
"But still, I-"
"No." Charcoal interrupted that thought. "You'll get your Help Kelp soon. Everything will be fine. I promise."
They fell silent once more. Charcoal moved to walk down the path. Exiting the infirmary section, he entered the main chamber - it was the hole in the middle of the volcano.
The male dragon was about to take flight until he noticed something. There was a familiar dragon brooding at the corner. He looked rather sad.
"Henry?" Charcoal approached, getting his attention. "You're here."
Henry the Woolly Howl quickly stood from the ground. "Charcoal." He bowed a bit. "I'd say I'm happy to see you, but..."
"Harr..." The male dragon lowered his head. "My mate is in quarantine."
Henry closed his eyes. "I'm sorry." He whispered, before staring at the infirmary entrance. "... Agatha is inside. She ate a Help Kelp few days ago, but it was dry and old. She's not as sick as others, but..."
"There's the risk involved." Charcoal finished the sentence. He exhaled his breath. "She'll get a fresh Help Kelp soon."
"There's barely any Help Kelp here in Barbaric Archipelago." The Woolly Howl expressed his concern. "They usually grow at the mainland. They had to import them."
The male Night Fury was about to respond until he heard some commotion. There was a large cave entrance not far from them.
Charcoal was aware of its end; it led to the back section of the infirmary, which was a massive, half-flooded cave leading to outside. It was where gatherers and messenger dragons drop their goods for the sick.
Charcoal silently gestured Henry to follow. They moved and entered the large cave entrance. Walking through the tunnel, they could hear dragons roaring their complaint. It sounded like a fight was about to break out.
Exiting the tunnel, the two dragons entered a massive, flooded cave clearing. Bordered by a small beach, half of the place was dry.
There were crudely made barrels and crates around the corners, presumably made by dragons for storage. In addition, there were plenty of dragons around the place, some of which were moving things in and out.
What took their attention was the centre of the area. General Grosvenor, the large and fat Monstrous Nightmare, was sitting there. He was giving commands to dragon soldiers, while others were roaring all sorts of complaints and profanities. It was obvious that the red dragon was enjoying it.
Charcoal and Henry moved to approach the general. "Grosvenor." The black dragon called, getting their attention. "What are you doing here?"
"... ah. The former general and his veteran." The large Monstrous Nightmare sneered a bit. "What are you two doing here?"
"I asked you that question."
One of the dragons decided to shout. "Sir! Sir Charcoal!" He called. "He just shipped away our batch of Help Kelps!"
Charcoal was shocked. "What?!"
"They are seaweeds." Grosvenor corrected. He looked annoyed. "It will not help you."
Henry took a step forward. "Help Kelp is a type of seaweed." He declared, getting their attention. "I always knew you were cruel, Grosvenor. Where are you sending them?"
"You have no right to ask!" The large Monstrous Nightmare roared triumphantly. "You are a civilian. This is a military matter!"
"It was a blue Deadly Nadder carrying tree trunk barrel flying north." Another dragon called out. He looked desperate. "Get them before they cross the border!"
"Grr..." Grosvenor growled at them. "Soldiers, chase them out!"
The dragon soldiers began roaring to shoo everyone. Charcoal and Henry looked at each other, before nodding. They knew what they had to do.
The male Night Fury dashed forward, dodging dragons left and right. He leaped right to General Grosvenor, who moved out of the way, before taking flight into the sky. Charcoal quickly flew out from the place, heading to chase his target.
Other dragon soldiers moved to give chase, but Henry the Woolly Howl tackled them away. "Grah!" He roared, before landing near the shore. He moved to his combat stance, daring anyone to chase after his former colleague.
Before dragon soldiers rushed him, General Grosvenor moved to approach. "Hold." He called, stopping them. The large Monstrous Nightmare towered over the Woolly Howl. "You dare to defy me? You do remember what happened before, don't you?"
"I do." Henry stood firm on his ground. "This time, I am ready."
"Very well." Grosvenor was positively delighted. He walked away, putting some distance. "Soldiers. Kill him."
Soldier dragons rushed to attack. The Woolly Howl braced himself, before dashing to the crowd.
Boom!
Charcoal was flying to track the Deadly Nadder. He had caught the scent of a messenger dragon flock flying north, along with something that smelled like seaweed.
He was glad the air was somewhat still in the night sky. The Night Fury was flying as fast as he could. The life of his mate and colleague depended on it.
Boom!
Eventually, he saw them from distance. It was a large flock, meaning that there could be a fight. His eyes searched for the target, before finding the Deadly Nadder he was looking for. The dragon was carrying a tree trunk barrel at the very front.
Charcoal took a deep breath, before jet pulsing his wings.
BOOM!
The jet-pulse expelled bright blue trail of explosion from his wings. That gained the attention of the flock. Dragons looked back to see what it was. "What was-"
Just as they saw him, Charcoal snatched the barrel from the Deadly Nadder. He slashed its talons with his own, forcing them to let go, before dashing back to Dragon Island. The flock roared in anger; they were under attack.
A Monstrous Nightmare at the front, who was the travelling flock alpha, was quick to roar. "Thief! Guards!" he shouted. "Get him!"
Charcoal moved to dodge dragons that came to his way. He ducked under dragon claws, swerved away from wall of Gronckle, before speeding up to outfly dragons pursuing him.
The Night Fury was still in the flock's airspace. Looking around for quick escape, he saw a dragon carrying a pristine human barrel. It looked like oil.
Trusting his instinct, Charcoal charged a plasma blast. Still holding onto the makeshift barrel, he raised one of his free claws. The Gronckle carrying oil barrel was panicking to fly away. That effort was naught, however, since the black dragon was flying too fast.
It was difficult to discern what happened, at least for dragons watching. Charcoal's claw shimmer blue when he slashed the oil barrel into pieces, sending the black liquid everywhere.
The Night Fury remained dry because of his speed. Right when the pursuing group reached the falling oil splash, Charcoal turned around, before firing the plasma blast.
BOOOOM!
The explosion ignited the oil, sending them everywhere. The pursuers were caught by burning oil, which burned their scales. "GROAAA!"
"Hot! Hot! Hot!" One of the pursuing Deadly Nadder stopped and flailed around in the air. That did throw away the burning oil from their scales. "Shite, where is he?!"
Those who had recovered quickly searched for their target. Seeing no one else in the sky, they began to curse. The Night Fury had stolen a barrel and gotten away with it. The Monstrous Nightmare flock leader growled, before approaching the Deadly Nadder that lost their barrel.
"What's in the barrel?" The Monstrous Nightmare growled out.
"They're seaweeds-"
"Cut the crap, Eren. You were with General Grosvenor." The red dragon interrupted. He did not like where it was going. "What is in the barrel?"
The Deadly Nadder faltered at his demand. "They're fertile Help Kelps." He confessed, earning wide eyed expression from other dragons. "My destination is Vulture Island, Greater Archipelago."
"Of course..." The Monstrous Nightmare mumbled, before giving his command. "Those who lost their goods, break away and report to the guards. The rest of you, move!"
"Yes, sir!"
Meanwhile, Henry the Woolly Howl was fighting an army by himself. He was relatively untouched, mainly because no one had touched him yet, and he was keeping it that way. His claws had specks of enemy blood. While nobody died yet, most were wounded.
"Groa!" A Gronckle was kicked away, before crashing onto a crowd of dragons. "Ow..."
Henry was surrounded by dragons. They were hesitant to approach. The Woolly Howl was relaxed on his stance; no one could challenge him yet.
It seemed his training had paid off. He was proud to be in Wodensfang's army. It made him stronger.
And he used that strength for the right thing.
General Grosvenor, who were standing at an elevated rock, was growling in anger. "It's just one dragon!" He roared. "Gronckles! Fire!"
Several Gronckles at the back lined up in semi-circle formation. They reared their heads, before expelling fireballs up in the air. The ball of flame flew down to the Woolly Howl.
Henry spread his wings and spun around right when it hits. Instead of exploding on impact, the fireballs bounced off and sent flying back to dragons surrounding him.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Smoke flew everywhere as roars of pain echoed across the cave clearing. Dragons put some distance from the cloud of smoke. Once it was clear, the Woolly Howl was untouched. Henry smirked when he folded his wings. It was too easy.
"Why don't you come down from there, Grosvenor?" Henry taunted. "Always have your dragons do your dirty works."
Suddenly, they heard someone entering the flooded cave clearing. Charcoal had returned with the barrel. Seeing the situation, he landed right next to the Woolly Howl. "I got it." He moved to open the barrel, revealing seaweeds with long, green blade-like edges with red vein at the centre.
Henry recognised them. "That's it. We got it."
It was then Charcoal noticed dragons were running away. The place around them began to shimmer as air was moving fast into the place. General Grosvenor was taking a deep breath, before breathing out the strongest fire breath they had ever seen.
BOOOOOOMMMM! FWOOOSH!
Charcoal sprung a thick wall of ice, just before the blazing fire engulfed them. Henry hardened his expression as he waited, while the male Night Fury felt a sense of déjà vu. The male Night Fury moved the barrel closer to the wall. It would not do good if it was destroyed by the fire.
However, the fire did not end. Grosvenor paused for a moment, before intensifying them. It looked like a giant beam of flame, which could be seen from outside. The sea water bubbled and evaporated. Surrounding dragons took cover at the corners, fearing the power of a dragon general.
It was also when Charcoal realised the ice was melting. He decided to do something about it. The black dragon focused his senses to know where General Grosvenor was standing.
Feeling him atop of an elevated rock platform, he sank his claws into the ground. He sent a strong electric shock into it.
The ground sparked with yellow lightning as it travelled to its destination. Amid the blazing fire, it found its target and exploded right at his head. The explosion was muffled by the flame, but the effect was clear. Grosvenor's head was knocked upward, expelling the flame onto the ceiling.
FWOOOSH!
It began melting cavern rocks and stalactites at the ceiling. Surrounding dragons rushed to escape as melted stone began falling. "Look out!"
Charcoal did not stop, however. Once the flame stopped touching the ice block, he turned around and kicked them with his hindlegs. The inner part of the block was glowing red, and it was spreading outward. When it reached Grosvenor, the ice block exploded right underneath his jaw.
BOOM!
That forced him to close his mouth shut. Grosvenor gulped down his own flame, which made him fell into a coughing fit.
Taking his chance, Charcoal dashed forward to attack. He slid under his belly and kicked his lower stomach. The large Monstrous Nightmare yelped as he was sent flying in the air.
While the red dragon was in mid-air, male Night Fury dashed onto the wall, climbed up, and leaped to the Monstrous Nightmare. He overshot over his target, but he jet-pulsed his wings to spin himself. General Grosvenor widened his eyes as Charcoal slammed his wings onto him.
Boom!
Charcoal landed moments after Grosvenor crashed to the ground. He moved so fast, they barely registered what just happened. He folded his wings as he approached the Woolly Howl. "Come. We need to get them inside."
"Halt! Everyone stay put!"
A large green Deadly Nadder flew into the clearing, followed by dragon soldiers behind him. General Grosvenor had just recovered. Upon seeing the large green dragon, he let out a growl. It was another general under Furious' command, one he did not seem to like.
Landing at the centre, the large Deadly Nadder looked around the place. It looked like there was a massive battle. Given the scorch marks and melting stones, Grosvenor had used his fire. The green dragon focused on the red one. "Grosvenor. What have you done this time?"
"General Nemo." Grosvenor stood from the ground. "I was doing my work when we were attacked."
The large Deadly Nadder - now known as General Nemo - glanced at the two dragons behind him. He recognised the Woolly Howl, before looking back at the red dragon. "I will not have your work tainting the infirmary." He declared. "Leave."
Grosvenor grumbled under his breath. He flapped his wings and took off into the air. His large body moved to fly out from the clearing, followed by his soldiers flying behind him. Some expressed their displeasure by knocking some boxes. Once they were gone, everything fell silent.
General Nemo turned to face the two dragons. "Where are the Help Kelps?"
Henry moved to grab the barrel. Thankfully, it was still intact. There was a splash of molten stone next to it. "It's still here."
"Good." The large Deadly Nadder nodded, before introducing himself. "General Nemo, 1st Red Rage Dragon Army."
"Charcoal, civilian." The black dragon responded.
"Charcoal, Henry, you may go, but do not leave the island." Nemo gave his order. "My dragons will question you later."
"What about the Help Kelps?" Charcoal questioned.
"They will be distributed for the sick."
The Woolly Howl nudged Charcoal aside. "We will be at the infirmary." He remarked, before walking to the large cave path. "Charcoal, let's go."
Later that day, Charcoal and Henry was summoned by General Nemo's army. The two were brought to the 'loading area', as they called them, and interviewed. They were questioned about what happened back then.
After explaining everything, including what they knew, they decided to converse with the large Deadly Nadder.
Apparently, the 1st Red Rage Dragon Army oversaw infrastructure security. They were tasked to ensure that places like infirmary and nesting area were secure from threat.
The army was also tasked to help critical infrastructures, like infirmary, to perform their function. It was why most of them were competent in things other than combat.
"There were supposed to be 20 barrels."
Charcoal and Henry stared blankly at General Nemo. They were at the flooded cavern, which was the infirmary loading area. There were dragons frantically moving in and out from the place. Everyone seemed agitated.
"I'm sorry." Charcoal decided to spoke up. "Did you say twenty barrels?"
"Correct." General Nemo nodded. The large Deadly Nadder looked tired. "We collected over 20 barrels of Help Kelps across Barbaric Archipelago for the infirmary. One is intact. Two were recorded to have been used."
The black dragon was incredulous. "Then where are the rest of them?" He questioned, outraged by the situation. "We have an epidemic here!"
"We are investigating the cause of this." The large Deadly Nadder responded. He looked pained as he uttered them. "However, what matters is their absence. The medics are working overtime to help the sick, but without them, those dragons might not survive."
Charcoal was internally seething. "Does General Grosvenor have anything to do with it?"
"We cannot say." General Nemo evaded the question. "This is still under investigation."
"Has Furious been informed of this?"
"Greater Alpha Furious has been informed." The large Deadly Nadder nodded. "He assigned me to this investigation. However, the matter still stands. We need those Help Kelps as soon as possible."
Charcoal was about to speak when Henry interrupted. "General Nemo." He started, getting their attention. "If you would, I am offering myself as mercenary to investigate this matter."
General Nemo raised his brows. "You're part of Wodensfang's army, then." He seemed impressed. "You have grown well, Henry. I'm happy you've moved on."
"All thanks to this general." The Woolly Howl bumped Charcoal with his wing. "Well, former general. They called us the daring hundred."
The large Deadly Nadder focused onto the Night Fury. "And I assume you will join him?"
Charcoal was unaware they knew each other. "I..." He paused, before giving his answer. "To get the Help Kelps back, yes. They should be still in our borders."
"While I appreciate your enthusiasm, it is unlikely that they are still within our borders." General Nemo patiently explained. "We have a lead as to where they might be. The Help Kelp you recovered were about to be smuggled to Vulture Island. It is in Greater Archipelago."
"Vulture Island. Greater Archipelago." Charcoal pondered for some time. He racked his memory of what he knew. "Isn't that restricted?"
"Perhaps. We know greater alpha is involved." The large Deadly Nadder answered. "You are tasked with gathering as much evidence as possible. Greater Alpha Furious could use the evidence to sue them for theft."
"Sue them... wait." The Night Fury paused. "He'll be suing Greater Alpha Merciless."
"Under the Eyes of Arch Alpha." General Nemo nodded. "Correct."
The Eyes of Arch Alpha was a term for a court of law. Charcoal was unfamiliar with them, mostly because they were usually not publicised.
Greater alpha dragons could sue others for woes caused by them. It was rare for greater alpha dragons to sue each other, primarily because they hated the judge, and they preferred to negotiate amongst themselves.
As it was implied, Wodensfang was both the judge and executioner. Once a case was brought to him, both parties would be under his judgment.
There were rules as to what could be brought to the court; frivolous case could mean the end of their tenure. Any ruling Wodensfang made were enacted by his own army, which was more than happy to enforce the sentence.
Which was also the reason why greater alpha dragons preferred to sort things amongst themselves.
"Are we allowed to grab unrelated things?" Charcoal decided to ask. "Say, a different barrel of Help Kelps."
"Sir Charcoal, I do not condone theft in any way." The large Deadly Nadder was stern. His expression softened a bit. "But I do understand what you are feeling. Your mate is sick, yes?"
"Yes."
"Then I will inform you that we have no jurisdiction outside of our own territory." General Nemo finally decided. "I am sure your father would approve but beware of what you bring back."
"I'll keep that in mind." Charcoal nodded.
"Good." The large Deadly Nadder nodded back. "You may go. I expect you to return with evidence."
The next day, Charcoal and Henry did not wait for anything else. It was early in the morning when the two dragons headed to Greater Archipelago. They were flying incredibly high, where most dragons could not reach them. The strike dragons would be scouting the island.
While flying, Charcoal felt her mate's presence within his mind. "Did they feed you the Help Kelps?"
There was a pause. "They gave me one leaf to halt the disease." Toothless admitted. "The doctors are spreading them thin. They're delaying the disease while waiting for the next batch, but we don't know when they will arrive."
Charcoal physically exhaled his breath. "At least it brought us some time." He remarked. "We'll work fast on getting them back."
"Aymar just came to visit." Toothless continued speaking. "I told him everything we know. He's heading back to Hidden World to report."
"Is he going to help?"
"I don't know." The dragoness admitted. "Help Kelp only exists deeper in Hidden World. It might take a few weeks for them to get me one from there."
"What about the mainland?"
"Same thing. Aymar could have done it with less time, but..." Toothless was hesitant.
Charcoal knew what she meant. "He's busy."
"Yes. He didn't stay for long because he's going back and forth between here and eastern section of Hidden World." The dragoness explained the situation. "The Mongolian serpent dragons are proposing armistice to my father. They don't want to ruin the deal now by not being present."
"I understand." The male Night Fury mentally grimaced. The Valstrax was dealing with far more pressing matter. "I promise you Toothless, we will get the Help Kelps."
"I trust you will." Toothless responded. There was hesitation in her thought. "... please come back alive. I'd rather be grounded than losing you."
"We will come back alive." Charcoal narrowed his eyes. The island was within sight, despite its distance. "I promise you that."
"Charcoal." Henry suddenly spoke, getting his attention. "Did you know that Agatha is General Nemo's mate?"
The male Night Fury was surprised. "Really?" He questioned. "I didn't see him at the Memorial Day event."
"He was busy with managing the infirmary. There are plenty of sick dragons." The Woolly Howl gave his reasoning. "They had been together before she was honourably discharged."
Charcoal narrowed his eyes. "Why was she in my army then?" He questioned. "We were expected to die."
"She was in Grosvenor's army with me when he decided to... dispose us." Henry darkened his expression. He glared at the far island. "General Grosvenor had been extorting him when he found out. It's why he trusts you. He knows you're a good dragon."
"Harr..." the male Night Fury exhaled his breath. "... I should probably give my dad an ear when we come back." He grumbled. "How did Grosvenor keep his position is beyond me."
"You saw the firepower he has." The Woolly Howl pointed out. "It was why Greater Alpha Furious kept him around. There needs to be someone to replace him if he were to be sacked."
"My father has every opportunity to sack him when we won that assignment." Charcoal gave his reasoning. "We are the proof that smart dragons can overcome challenges better than one powerful dragon. He could have replaced him with me, but he didn't. He just wants me out of the war."
"Did he regret it?"
"Hrrk." Charcoal snorted. "He did when I pointed it out." He answered the question. "He could have given us jobs to improve the region after discharging us. Now, everyone had already moved on. He's not getting us back."
Henry remained silent. The two dragons slowed their speed as they reached Vulture Island. Watching from the top, they could see why it was given that name.
The island was massive. It was almost as big as Dragon Island. The island had an incredibly tall mountain that almost reached the clouds.
The place was covered with massive trees. There were many dragons roaming around the place, most of which looked like dragon messengers and soldiers. However, what caught their attention were the things at the island.
There were human contraptions hidden behind foliage. The two dragons noticed things like ballistae, trebuchets and mounted crossbow. They looked to be crewed by small dragons like Terrible Terrors, but they also saw bits of crystals underneath them.
They saw them pressing their paws onto the crystal, and the ballista began moving on its own.
"Dragon contraption mixed with human ones." Charcoal realised. "It has Harald's signature all over them."
"The place is too secure for us to breach in." Henry commented. He searched around the cliffs for possible cave entrances. There were some around the shores, but there were dragons coming in and out from the place. It was safe to assume that they were heavily guarded. "What kind of place need this much security?"
"The research kind. This might be where they develop contraptions for Merciless' army." The male Night Fury answered his question. "They are still at war with Northern Alliance, the human-dragon army. They want to make sure their enemies can't get their claws on them."
"I don't recognise some of the contraptions." The Woolly Howl admitted. "It looks like catapult, but... not quite."
"Trebuchet. It can throw farther than catapults." Charcoal explained. He exhaled his breath. "Harald really took his job seriously. If we were to get the evidence, we need to sneak in. Did you see any cave entrance?"
"Yes, but they were all crowded." Henry answered. "It's most likely that they are heavily guarded."
The Night Fury pondered a solution. They looked to be heavily guarded against human-dragon army. It meant that they were primarily expecting human strategy to fight them. "What about underwater?"
"The sea is too reflective for me to see through, but I glimpsed a deep cave under the beach shore." The Woolly Howl explained, guessing his thoughts. "We have no means to enter, especially as deep as that."
"Most dragons can swim in shallow water. We just can't breathe underwater for long."
"We can extend that." Henry glanced at him. "I know Air Bubble spell."
"Air Bubble spell?" Charcoal expressed his confusion. "They don't teach that in the dragon book."
"It was taught as part of Wodensfang's a rmy spell s ."
"Hrr..." The male Night Fury was deep in thought. That gave him some ideas. "Do you know how to use dragon contraption?"
"I know how to make and use them. Yes."
That was good. Charcoal looked around the place. "Possible reinforcement in case of alarm?"
Henry paused as he looked around as well. "... None." He responded, surprised. "They seem to be busy with the war."
The male Night Fury realised the potential. "We can probably enter through underwater cave." Charcoal pondered his idea. "But we need contraption to do it..."
Apparently, the plan involved going deep underwater with contraptions aiding them. Charcoal was determined to make them happen. He had experience in making waterproof things.
Henry was not sure it was a good idea, considering how deep the underwater cave entrance was when they approximated its depth. However, considering there was no other choice, through rigorous testing and experimenting, the contraption was built anyway.
The combination of Henry's knowledge on dragon contraptions, as well as Charcoal's extensive knowledge on ships and marine vessels, finally gave birth to something that allowed them to swim deep underwater.
It was a large capsule-shaped thing made of waterproofed wood. It used black walnut for its hull, which then held together by metal bars.
There were latches that locked the innards shut, along with metal bars on the sides for them to hold onto. There was a small dull white crystal at the middle. However, the rear section was where dragon contraption shined.
There was a shrouded, fan-shaped metal propeller at the rear, which Charcoal took inspiration from bamboo dragonfly the Chinese made. It was connected to dull white crystals at the rear.
Inside the capsule was empty and hollow, except for said crystals at the back. What made them interesting was a different crystal attached; a small bright purple crystal, which powered the propeller.
They were roughly the size of Charcoal, and there were two of them. They could not fit inside; the contraptions were made to aid them in swimming and storing goods.
Charcoal and Henry made them together in three days, with the last one practising them. The two dragons were confident enough that it would work.
"How long does the Amethyst Scale last?"
The Woolly Howl was making last inspection of the contraption they made. The two dragons were at an underground flooded cavern somewhat far from Vulture Island. It was the perfect place for them to dock and store their underwater vessel.
"Depends on how fast the propeller spin. It could last for a day if we're slow." Henry absentmindedly answered. The contraption was floating in the water. "The Air Bubble spell is crystallised. If it run out of Amethyst Crystal, the spell will stop."
"That's why we made it pull from our mana pool." Charcoal glanced at him. "The spell will keep running as long as we're connected to it."
The Woolly Howl shrugged his wings. "I suppose it's enough for us to resurface."
The two dragons mounted onto their own contraptions. They positioned themselves to hug the capsule, holding onto the metal bars, and pressing their chest onto the dull white crystal in the middle. Once that was done, they connected their circuits with the crystal.
The propeller began to spin. The two dragons shifted their weight, and they submerged themselves into the water. Cold water touched their scales, but their head remained relatively dry. The Air Bubble spell formed an air bubble around their head.
They swam through the underwater tunnel, carefully manoeuvring with their tail and body. Once they reached the end, Charcoal and Henry were finally at the ocean, half kilometre deep underwater.
The place was incredibly dark, which was rather expected. It was nighttime on the surface. Charcoal and Henry could see each other, thanks to their ability to see in the dark. However, the ocean was another matter. They could not see that far.
"This will be difficult." Henry spoke through telepathy. "We have no means to know our direction."
"I can feel where the north is." Charcoal replied, before slowly controlled his contraption to move. "We'll do this nice and slow. We don't want to get lost in the sea."
The Woolly Howl manoeuvred to follow. "How could you feel that?"
"The world is a little bit magnetic. I can feel them in my scales." The Night Fury admitted. "Don't tell anyone, but I can control lightning to some extent."
"Ah. Well..." Henry seemed to grumble. "That's useful."
The Night Fury breathed out some of his flame gas. Breathing them in, he could feel his lungs taking oxygen. "It should take an hour to get here from there." Charcoal remarked, before starting conversation. "What do you think we should name these things?"
"You're the one who made them."
"I give you the honour." The Night Fury replied. He slightly adjusted his direction. "I thought about calling them 'submarine', but it's not exactly fitting, considering we're riding them."
"... 'submersible' doesn't fit either. We're still riding them." The Woolly Howl pondered for some time. "There is something similar back in Hidden World. They're meant to accommodate dragons that can't walk."
"What do they call them?"
"A scooter. Large wooden planks with four wheels and a crystal chunk." Henry answered, somewhat humorously. "In some places, thieves would steal the Amethyst Scale while the dragon's riding them."
"Funny." Charcoal dryly commented. "I guess that's the name for this then?"
"I guess 'sea scooter' sounds better." The Woolly Howl named the contraption. "Our emergency invention. It allowed us to swim deep underwater."
"Fitting name." The Night Fury approved. He spotted something not far from them. "Heads up. We're close."
The two dragons manoeuvred their contraptions- sea scooters toward the island. Given the structure, it matched with what they had seen from the sky.
Charcoal took the lead as they swam around the place. After circling the island, they finally found the hidden underwater entrance.
Approaching them, Charcoal was the first one to enter. Henry followed him behind.
The underwater cave was a maze that almost led to nowhere. The two dragons managed to find a large, dry cave clearing to surface and dock. There was no cave path anywhere, meaning it was a dead end. Regardless, they went to dock anyway. They had a plan in mind.
Charcoal shivered as water dripped from his scales. "Never thought I'd be swimming at the coldest month of the year." The black dragon commented, before glancing at Henry. "Are you cold?"
The Woolly Howl was shaking. "Very."
The Night Fury fired an ice bolt from his maw. It sprung up a chunk of ice where it landed, which at the centre of the cave clearing. Charcoal then spatted a water ball to splash it, before igniting them with a small flame. It became a small bonfire made of flammable ice. "That should help."
Henry was stunned to see it. "By the skies, you really can use all element." He realised, before approaching the ice bonfire. It was providing heat for them. Resting next to it, he simply watched the Night Fury. "I'll sit down here to warm myself."
Charcoal was listening in through the walls, trying to find possible opening he could dig to. "Get comfortable then. This might take a while." He replied, before tapping the wall at a corner. "... this one feels like the closest."
The Woolly Howl watched as the black dragon began melting the wall with his plasma flame, creating straight cave path. It took him few hours to dig before he found something.
Charcoal stopped his stream of fire. Carefully moving through the molten stones, he peeked through a small hole. "Some sort of spikes. We're just above ground of... something."
The Night Fury moved to dig slightly upward. Instead of making cave path, he carefully melted and dug away the stone debris. After some time, he found a way out. Charcoal slowly moved to see the other side. Peeking his head, he widened his eyes. "... Henry?"
"Yeah?"
The Night Fury ducked back down. "I found an opening." He called out. "You need to see this."
Henry stood from the ground, before moving to check what Charcoal had found. The black dragon moved aside as he peeked his head out. The Woolly Howl narrowed his eyes as it adjusted to the light. Once they did, the brown-scaled dragon widened them. "By the moon, stars and skies above..."
It was a massive storage room, filled with all assortments of things. From human boats, carriages and large ships, to crossbows, oil barrels and cannons - they were all stored inside the place.
There were things they could not name either, like different coloured crystals. Some, however, they could recognise. They saw barrel bombs that looked familiar. It must be Harald's creation.
Looking around, there was no dragon in sight. Henry carefully climbed out from the whole. "Well, given everything here, they better have the Help Kelps they took."
Charcoal had climbed out as well. "I don't understand why they were smuggled here." He commented as he looked around the place. "Given all the stuff here, they could be experimenting with alchemy."
The Woolly Howl remained on guard, in case there were dragons. "Do they need all 20 barrels for that?"
"If they're making something plenty." The Night Fury answered. He sniffed the air for any plant smell. There was a faint scent somewhere. "They must be working with something big."
Hoping to find the Help Kelps, the two dragons carefully explored the place. They carefully walked around the place, since there were things scattered on the ground. It was not a good idea to make a noise. Charcoal searched for the scent, while Henry was inspecting the crystals.
At some point, Henry decided to take something. He touched a crystal and pulled it into his storage mana. Charcoal almost jumped when he heard mana fire crackling. "Henry."
The said Woolly Howl glanced at him. "What?"
"What are you doing?" Charcoal hissed.
"Taking valuable crystals." Henry whispered back. "Some of these crystals are rare. We won't see them again in our lifetime."
The black dragon was exasperated. "What's so valuable that we have to take them now?"
"Heart Stone." The Woolly Howl hissed back. He pushed forward a shimmering, deep red crystal shaped like human heart. "It's a pre-Desperation War crystal. The creation method was lost a long time ago. It's used for mana construct."
"Mana construct?"
"Hidden World things." Henry answered. "Very valuable."
"Fine." Charcoal tapped the crystal and pulled it into his storage mana. The Heart Stone vanished in blue mana flame. "Take only what's valuable. We don't want to waste space."
"I will keep that in mind."
They did, in fact, looted all the crystals and other highly valuable things.
What was meant to be a quick snatch-and-grab turned into full-blown robbery. The two dragons filled ten different large Storage Crystals, which they stashed inside their sea scooters. Nobody had come to check the place so far, meaning everything was free for the taking.
"This is a daric gold coin."
The two dragons were at another section of the massive storage room. There were large wooden chests stacked around the place. Some of them were already opened, revealing many different gold and silver pieces in various shapes, such as coins and bars.
Charcoal was inspecting a rather thick gold coin. "The currency of Achaemenian Empire; an ancient human empire." He whispered, fascinated by the coin. "It has the king shooting an arrow. This thing is around 2,300 years old. Maybe older."
Meanwhile, Henry was looting the chests into his storage mana. Yellow mana flames erupted as some of the chests disappeared. "Perhaps we should inspect them after we get out." The Woolly Howl advised. He was working on looting the place. "We are still in enemy territory."
"I am keeping watch." Charcoal responded. He moved to grab a different coin with his claws. "And this one... is a gold dinar." The Night Fury whispered. "From the carvings, this gold coin is minted in Egypt... Abu Tamim Ma'ad al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah."
That gained Henry's attention. "What?"
"Abu Tamim Ma'ad al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah." The Night Fury repeated himself. He looked at the chocolate-scaled dragon. "It's Arabic. It means 'Glorifier of the Religion of God'."
"Islamic gold coin, then." The Woolly Howl was interested.
"Yes." Charcoal whispered as he realised something. He put away the coin and began checking the open chests. "... they have gold and silver coins from many different eras. I don't even know some of them."
That alarmed the Woolly Howl. "Are we raiding Merciless' hoard?"
While it was uncommon for dragons to hoard wealth, most Greater Alpha dragons had hoards of their own. It could be anything, but most of them were crystals. Merciless was known to hoard pretty much anything that looked valuable, which also includes gold and silver.
"Merciless usually put his hoard separately." Charcoal frowned at that. "He usually put them close to Caldera. We are nowhere close to that."
"It would explain the security-"
"Or lack thereof. At least for inside security." The Night Fury dryly interrupted. "Regardless, we're already committed to this. As the humans say, in for a penny, in for a pound. Have you looted the crystals?"
"Only the most valuables."
"You think we have space for all this?" Charcoal gestured to the chests with his wings.
"Harr..." Henry exhaled his breath. "Yes."
"Then let's grab them all." The Night Fury decided as he began pulling some chests into his storage mana. They vanished in blue flames. "Just to spite whoever stole our Help Kelps."
"I should remind you that I cannot keep any of this without getting court-martialled." The Woolly Howl grumbled. "You will take all the goods and blame if we are looting everything."
" I'll take everything then ."
After looting what they could fit inside their sea scooters, Charcoal and Henry focused on searching for the Help Kelps. The scent was still around, but after clearing out the gold and silver, the scent seemed stronger. The two dragons had easier time tracking down the scent.
Eventually, it led them into a cave path. Carefully walking through, the two dragons heard dragons talking with each other. After seeing some light, they sneaked through the path, before arriving at a clearing.
It looked like a large experiment room intended for dragons. There were large tables with all sorts of crystals and papers; cauldrons filled with things; and other assortments of alchemical things.
Charcoal widened his eyes; being an alchemist himself, he recognised the components. It looked like an attempt to brew something complicated.
The dragons they heard just left to another room, seemingly arguing about something. Charcoal and Henry carefully entered the place, searching for possible evidence.
The Night Fury spotted some empty barrels near a cauldron. He moved to sniff what was inside before. It smelled like Help Kelp, implying that they were using them.
The Woolly Howl moved closer to the table. Most of the stuff were written in Norse. Checking the papers, the handwriting looked rather rough, as if a dragon had written them. However, one of them looked to be written by a human. "Charcoal?"
The Night Fury moved to check the brown-scaled dragon. Looking at what he was looking at, he read what it said.
Super Dragon Project
Suddenly, they heard them coming back into the room. Charcoal leaped and attached himself at the tall, dark ceiling. Henry moved to hid behind a pile of crates. They waited for them to arrive, revealing two familiar dragons entering the place.
The first one was Harald the Dramillion. The one-eyed dragon looked exhausted. It looked like he had not been having proper sleep for the past week.
The second one was a large acidic-green-eyed Night Fury - one they recognised the most. It was Merciless, the Greater Alpha of Greater Archipelago. Just like what they expected, he looked incredibly strong, even if it was his smaller size. The greater alpha dragon looked agitated.
"... result in their death." Harald argued to his superior. "I- we have done our best, but the recipe is wrong."
"Harald, we got over ten fucking papers with the same recipe." Merciless retorted. He did not look happy. "This was his project before he left. You said you knew about alchemy. What the fuck happened to that?!"
"I know how to read and make alchemic things, like explosives, but this is beyond my knowledge." The Dramillion further explained. "You are asking me to brute-force the recipe."
"I know what I said!" The greater alpha dragon snapped. He took a deep breath, before exhaling them. "... look, we don't have a choice. The dragon that made them died before I could ask, and my dad sealed whatever notes he have really tight. You're our only chance to get this to work."
"Over 150 dragons have died drinking them-"
"And they will save... millions... for trying." Merciless interrupted. "I know where you're going with this. I know where you're coming from. But when you're warring against a fucking lunatic, you need to start taking measures!"
Bump!
The two dragons snapped to look at a pile of crates. Merciless readied his stance. "Who's there?!"
Henry the Woolly Howl was hiding there. He cursed himself. He should have not moved his tail.
Charcoal, who was at the ceiling, realised that the situation might get messy. He dropped down with his claws shimmering blue. Readying his stance, the young Night Fury stabbed his claws on Merciless' back in quick succession.
Bump! Bump! Bump!
Instead of causing wound, Charcoal simply pulsed his mana. Having his nerves disrupted, Merciless collapsed to the ground. Charcoal mentally thanked his father for the spell.
The young Night Fury sensed something, before turned around and stabbed Harald with his claws, paralysing him as well. Once they were disabled, Charcoal stepped away. "Right. There's that."
They could move their head while paralysed. Harald recognised the intruder. "C- Charcoal?" He struggled to move. "What are you doing here?"
"You stole something from us." Charcoal simply responded. "The Help Kelps. Where are they?"
"What are you talking about?" The Dramillion was confused, struggling from paralysis. "We didn't steal anything."
Henry had moved out from his hiding spot. He was rather embarrassed. "Bugger." The Woolly Howl cursed as he approached the black dragon. "It's Merciless too."
"Who else did you expect?" Charcoal raised his brows. "I figured he would make sacrifices like this; smuggling Help Kelps out from a region suffering under Dreaded Dragon Flu."
The Dramillion was horrified. "What?"
"Skies-dammit, Harald!" Merciless exclaimed. He struggled under paralysis. "Don't be horrified like that. We're fucking desperate!"
There was some pause. Charcoal moved to check the notes at the table, while Henry moved to question them. "What exactly are you trying to do with so much Help Kelps?" He demanded. "Harald, there are a hundred dragons in quarantine at Dragon Island. Agatha and Toothless are sick, and they are pregnant. You know what happens to affected pregnant dragons, do you?"
Merciless stared with defiance and guilt, while Harald looked pale. Henry waited expectantly, hoping to get some answer. After some time, the Dramillion was the one who cracked. "It's for our project."
"What is your project?"
"The Super Dragon Project." Harald confessed. "I- It's a chemical that could make dragons stronger. Much stronger than normal. They could even affect their hatchlings."
The Woolly Howl was in disbelief. "But you are winning the war." He pointed out. "I know you introduced those contraptions to your army. Why do you want to do this project?"
"Because our enemies are experimenting with alchemy. And they are not holding back." The Dramillion gave his explanation. "Last year, they brought a deviant that wiped out a nest in a single night. We were caught off guard. Had it not been my contraption, we would have been destroyed!"
"But you are smuggling things out from Barbaric Archipelago." Henry argued. He was angry and confused. "Harald, you were there just few days ago! You knew there's an epidemic."
"I know. I'm sorry. I-" Harald looked away, avoiding meeting his eyes. "I didn't know, but we were desperate. Help Kelp is its core component."
"You're wrong."
They turned their attention to Charcoal, who was focused on the papers at the table. He was deep in thought. "There is no mention of Help Kelp or seaweed anywhere on the paper." The young Night Fury glanced at the Dramillion. "What part did you think it was?"
"I- It was the... dephlogisticated marine acid." The Dramillion answered. "Help Kelp fits the definition."
"Well, that's not Help Kelp. It's a cleansing agent." Charcoal looked back at the table. He was reading the papers. "You get them from salt cluster underground, which can be mined by Gronckles. It's not even its core component - it was flowers of sulphur, which is just distilled sulphur."
Dragons were stunned to hear him explaining them. The young Night Fury continued speaking. "The recipe looks incomplete because it's not a potion recipe." Charcoal explained. "It's an alchemical base recipe for transitional brew into different potions. You're meant to build over them, not finish them."
There was a long pause. It was Merciless who broke the silence. "You can understand them?"
"I know alchemy." Charcoal answered. He was more focused on the papers. "I was the one who designed those bombs that Harald made back there."
"Wait." The greater alpha dragon widened his eyes. "You're Charcoal? The General of Daring Hundred?"
Charcoal glanced at him. "The one and only."
Suddenly, they heard a dragon shouting through the cave path. "Greater Alpha? Are you okay?"
Henry was alarmed. "Shite. Guards."
The young Night Fury fired an ice bolt with his maw. "Kra!" He snapped, blocking the cave path with ice. "That will do for now. We need to get the Help Kelps."
The Woolly Howl focused at the paralysed Dramillion. "Where are the Help Kelps?"
Harald simply limped his head. "We used them all..."
Henry was horrified. He looked back at Charcoal, desperation in his eyes. The young Night Fury cursed under his breath. Suddenly, he had an idea. "Henry, grab the notes and empty barrels. Latter first." He gave his order. "Those are our evidence. Don't use Storage Crystal."
"But-"
Charcoal interrupted. "I'll make potions to cure our friends." He rushed to the alchemical kit, before moving to work. "Give me fifteen minutes. Move!"
The two dragons quickly got to work. Using the recipe as framework, Charcoal used his claws to carve calculations on the wooden table. Once he was satisfied, the young Night Fury checked other parts of the notes, before rushing to grab the ingredients. He had a simple potion in mind.
Rushing through where they came from, the Woolly Howl quickly moved the empty barrels to the sea scooter.
When that was done, he went back to the room, gathered all the notes and papers, before throwing them into an empty wooden box. Henry grabbed it with his maw, before rushing out from the place.
"Greater Alpha? We're coming in!"
Charcoal knew time was of the essence. It would not be long for them to realise something was wrong. He calmed himself as he focused on the alchemy.
"Aqua vitae... bezoar... Terra figulina..." The young Night Fury mumbled as he dumped the components into the cauldron, before letting it bubble. While waiting for them, he rushed to grab a wooden box filled with empty wooden cylindrical containers.
They heard some banging from the ice block. It was obvious that the guards did not expect them there. The young Night Fury rushed to get the batch done. He noted the colour and smell, before considering them acceptable. "Henry, open these for me."
The Woolly Howl rushed to help. The two dragons went to pour and seal the potions into containers. After it was done, Henry closed the wooden box and rushed out from the place. He would be storing them at the sea scooter.
Charcoal was about to leave when someone crashed onto him. "Hrrk!" He yelped, before looking up at his attacker. Merciless' paralysis had worn off, and he had his forelegs pinning his back. It was difficult to get him off. "Will you let go?"
"Nope!" The greater alpha chirped, before glaring down at him. "You're coming with me."
BOOM!
Merciless was suddenly launched forward. Charcoal had jet pulsed his wings. The young Night Fury used his momentum to spin and land upright, while the older one crashed through the blocked cave path.
That shattered the ice block, as well as widening the path. There were pained roars from dragons at the other side where Merciless crashed.
Satisfied, the young Night Fury rushed back to the storage area. He fired an ice bolt at the cave path behind him. The ice block sprung up just in time as Merciless crashed to them. The greater alpha dragon snarled a curse. "FUCK!"
Dragon soldiers rushed into the room. "Greater-"
"Storage room!" Merciless roared. "Go!"
Seeing his wrath, they quickly rushed out to find a different path. The large Night Fury fumed as he watched. Glancing at the side, he noticed Harald was staring at a wooden table. The paralysis had also worn off for the Dramillion. "Harald. What was it?"
The Dramillion stared with wide eyed expression. "I- It was-"
Merciless had none of it. "What was it?!" He hissed.
"It was a regeneration potion." Harald quickly explained. His expression was in awe. "I- It stimulates mana circuits to remove diseases and regenerate damaged organs, even missing limbs!"
The two dragons stared at the table. They fell silent as they read the recipe carved on it. They realised how far behind they were in alchemical knowledge. The Dramillion paused when he realised something important. "Charcoal made this in five minutes."
Merciless cursed at that. "And they took the fucking paper."