Deviation Actions
Chapter 24 Deadly Dragonbane
We open once more in the frozen greenhouse in Hel’s citadel as she and Dagur are examining the hundreds of tables filled with thousands of strange blackish reds ugly flowers that all smell like death.
She’s talking to Dagur about the plant which she calls Dragonbane and asked him if he thinks they’ll be successful this time with this plan. It’s been two weeks since they’d disrupted the crossover race on Earth and so that should’ve been enough time to distract both the humans and dragons from what their real objective was with attacking the hatchlings.
Dagur suggest why don’t they talk to their man in the field the one they asked to get them the Dragonbane in the first place and knows the most about it? Since it was his ancestors who created the plant in the first place.
Agreeing they got to the throne room and go over to the Viewing well and she calls out to her operative in the field who turns out to be Viggo! She ask him in calm as a manner as possible if things are going according to plan and if looks from his perspective that the Dragonbane is growing and they’ll be able to strike with it soon.
In that annoying Vulcan calm like manner Viggo assures his leader that she made him her man of strategy for a reason and that he can more than handle this. He told many times this plant is highly resilient and will grow practically anywhere and is almost impossible to kill.
He reminds his ancestors breed the plant to be the deadliest thing ever to dragon centuries ago and if the seeds of the plants they’d grown in her frozen world lasted that long they should have no problem growing on Berk.
She does ask once more if he sure they’re dragon proof and he retorts calmly if the plants called Dragonbane and is meant to kill a dragon in 24 hours if ingested does she really think a dragon would be able to kill it? Dragon Fire has no effect on it and only his people know of the cure to the poison and the ingredients that will kill the plant itself indefinitely.
Feeling confident she reminds him that he and his partner must work together even if they are two complete opposite to make sure this operation is carried out swiftly and silently.
That Berk is one fully infested with Dragonbane and two that every hatchling ingest the toxic plant at the same time. She reminds them their objective is to wipe out all the dragon children in the Nursery and to do that they must make sure all the babies ingest the deadly plant at once.
Viggo tells her not to worry even if he’s working with a mad idiot like Drago they can pull this off no problem. They’ll be in touch and the Viewing Well goes dark.
During this whole time below them the Souls of Purgatory despite the ‘nice treatment’ Hel’s been giving them have just overheard the whole plan to kill all of Berk dragon baby population and sing about their sorrows to try and distract Hel in an attempt to warn Berk what’s going on.
On Berk things haven’t been going well since the crossover race ended with the young being attack. The parents have been overly protective of their children lately and Hiccup own family been in more contact then ever worrying once more that this mysterious Day of Destiny is coming.
They’re also upset because it’s nearing the two year anniversary of the day that changed so much. Stoick’s death, Valka coming home and Hiccup becoming chief. And five days before that be Toothless and Moon Shadow’s own anniversary.
Everyone kinda noticing the days are going by faster as if time is speeding up and things are happening quicker and more bad things are happening and everyone is once more on edge.
Stoick and Boden report things in Valhalla are just as on edge there as on earth and they to feel time is getting out of wack as if it’s spiraling out of control and other bad things are happening and one bad thing is making worse thing happen.
Fearing the worst almost no-one in either location is able to function who at least has some clue what’s going on. Most of Berk is still oblivious as to what danger they are in and still won’t listen to what they should’ve long since heard.
The Riders are spending more and more time with their younger siblings having become extremely protective of them. To the point they’ve come as Snotlout other self said in proper timeline “They’ve become the shadows glued to their hips”
With everyone on edge and this high alert one would think they’d be able to see or predict the next attack but no chance of that when dealing with who they’re dealing with.
Starting once more only a few short days till the two important anniversaries is when the first evil strikes. It’s the dead of night and everyone is asleep safe in their beds.
The Riders have their younger siblings bunking with them once more in an effort to protect them and the Nursery is under serious protection but it’s all for naught. Under the cover the night someone leads some dark colored dragons in formation above the village and the dust the whole village with some strange powdery stuff.
So even though Moon Shadow and Toothless awake and try to alert someone there is danger they almost immediately are put back to sleep and soon it becomes clear the humans and dragons of Berk aren’t just sleeping they’re all in a temporary coma a sleep so deep they won’t be aroused for anything.
Drago stands proudly and brags to Viggo about his work and Viggo says yes he did one thing right but the game has just begun and there are many moves left to make before they win so don’t get cocky after the first move and also don’t leave a clue behind either you buffoon.
As Viggo has no problem getting the Nursery unlocked and everyone is still in a coma like state. Finding where the food is kept and finding all the records so neatly arranged he pauses for a moment to admire their hard work and all they’ve done for their sweet little ones.
He then opens the basket he brought with him that has several shredded pieces of Dragonbane in them and begins to mix it with tomorrow breakfast in a way that is undetectable.
Once that’s done he tells Drago the first half of their mission is done now they must make sure the rest is done before sunup when the sleeping pollen they used from another rare flower will wear off as it only works in the moonlight.
So they cover every inch of the island before leaving to return to Helheim to report a job well done. Operation Dragonbane is a success.
Hel is quite pleased and now all they’ve to do is watch the fun so she uses both the Viewing Well and Icefire to have a big enough picture to enjoy this.
The next morning everyone wakes up completely unaware of last night activities as the pollen vanished with the sunlight. Skullette and Firefang show up in the Nursery where the Haddocks happened to be at the same time to talk to them and the babies eat their breakfast and instantly become sick.
They symptoms come on so quickly it shocks everyone and their parents are screaming what is wrong and no-one knows what is wrong and that’s when Una is literally knocked off her feet with a lot of loud screaming in her head.
Hiccup for a second tends to his sister and not the babies before she manages to chock out the word “Dragonbane”
“Huh?”
She explains the trapped souls in Purgatory overheard Hel and her cohorts speaking the day before about a deadly plant called Dragonbane and they’re gonna use it to kill the dragon children.
Everyone looks at Una in shock and as her if the souls know how to cure it or anything else. She says they need to gather all the villagers and get rid of the plant that is now spreading all over Berk because the souls overheard that, but she also says it’s nearly impossible to kill it.
From what the souls overheard there is only one known cure to Dragonbane poisoning and how to kill it. But the souls don’t know it. But the person who does be Hiccup’s old foe Viggo who was sent by Hel to deliver the deadly poison.
Hiccup like they’re not gonna find him or any trace of him so it looks like the babies will die for sure, Una then says there maybe another way. She ask her brother does he have anything that Viggo might have touched once back when they used do their battle of wits?
Remembering he’s got one old item he did touch a scrap of a torn shirt he can get it but what good that gonna do? Una says she’ll try and force a vision out of it and see if she can tap out of it Viggo’s memories and with it the cure for the poisoning and how to make the poison to kill the plant.
Hiccup bolts back to his room and gets the torn shirt sleeve Viggo tore once and hands to Una who takes a deep breath before praying to the gods to let this work. Touching it she gets her vision and focuses her mind and gets more than just the memory attached to the shirt sleeve.
Seeing into Viggo’s mind she’s able to get the information they need. She tells them they’ve to work fast because they symptoms will get worse very quickly and the babies will be dead in 24 hours if they don’t get the cure into them.
So the Nursery Staff, the mates and children with Gobber health tend to the young ones while the Riders set out to find the ingredients to cure which Gothi and Mrs. Luka are getting ready to make.
The rest of the mothers along with Dotta are busy making the poison to kill the plant while the villagers try and see how far this thing has spread.
Hiccup and his family are coordinating all the teams and still keeping Valhalla up to date in case this is tried to somehow poison the souls upstairs.
Eventually they managed to make the cure and just get it to the babies in time and they slowly start to recover and then they start to kill the infestation. It’s a tiring and hard day but they managed to get rid of the deadly Dragonbane and all is right for the time being.
Back in Helheim Hel is having the mother of all tantrums and everyone is running and hiding and she screaming at Viggo demanding how did they get the cure? He told her this plan was foolproof so what the hell happened?!
He admits he’s got no idea as no-one but he himself knows the antidote or the recipe for the poison to kill the plant.
Hel just howls like a wild beast and the Citadel threatens to come down on top of them. “I knew those three were trouble! They are without a doubt beyond blessed! No wonder their Soul Lights shine brighter than a thousand suns!
The powers those three hold? Their combined powers outrival all the powers of all the Gods of Asgard even Odin himself cannot compared to the power possessed by those three mortals! They must be finished once and for all! I want a full Council meeting as soon as possible! Everyone in attendance is required no-one is to be excused!
I’m going to my room for now. Tell the Seeds and Imps to make sure this room is beyond impressive and empowering for our final meeting! One way or another this will end very soon and very soon the Haddock kids will pay the ultimate price!” as she storms off to her room.
The men aren’t sure what’s going on but they do know they should help at least get the room ready for the COE meeting and down below the Souls in Purgatory quake in fear knowing the day they all fear is almost here and soon something worse the end of the world will happen much, much, much worse!