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Description
A scene illustration from Hiccup's Quest to Dragon's Fire.

Music I composed and performed to accompany the scene: [link]

With the safety of his Quest team in the balance, Hiccup stands in front of a tree ignited by lightning and readies his sword to duel with the fearless leader of a group of bounty hunters.

Quest episodes are posted nightly Thursday through Monday in my journal.

*Artist's note: Though Hiccup is left handed, in the story he is injured on the left side and had to switch the sword to his right hand.

Here is the Quest episode:

--------------------------------------------------------------
Hiccup's Quest Day 100 – Meanwhile (Near) Camp 69

(The following is an excerpt from Master Rohan's Chronicle of the Quest to Dragon's Fire)

In front of the broken shadow of a great oak tree engulfed in flames, Hiccup stood, stalwart and fiercely resolved to hold his muddy patch of ground, even if the leader of the bounty hunters were to charge at him.

The rain fell in intermittent bands of gusty squalls.

Hiccup's challenge still hung unanswered in the stormy night air:

"DUEL WITH ME, BOUNTY HUNTER!

"IF I WIN ….…. YOU AND YOUR MEN WILL BE SPARED BUT MUST OFFER PROTECTION TO MY TEAM!

"IF YOU WIN ….…. YOU CAN TAKE ME PRISONER AND CLAIM THE REWARD ON MY HEAD!

"IF THERE IS ANY HONOR WITHIN YOU, YOU WILL ACCEPT THIS CHALLENGE!

"WHAT SAY YOU, BOUNTY HUNTER?!"

Opposite the young Viking across the fiery slop of the field and crouched like a predator readying to spring on its prey ….

Marcus , the leader of the bounty hunters, brooded on the implications of the challenge.

Gambling, among other less than savory pursuits, was one of Marcus' favorite pastimes, and he couldn't resist betting heavily on a round of cards when the odds showing on the table were so much in favor of him:

His opponent was a boy, perhaps half his height with limbs almost as narrow as toothpicks.

The viking's dragon friend had disappeared; the other dragon had been fettered; and the members of his gang were nowhere to be seen.

Within a minute or so, the viking would be surrounded by a horde of furious bounty hunters.

The wisest thing for Marcus to do was to wait.

But a challenge to his honor?

This he could not resist!

With a shout to his opponent, Marcus replied,

"I ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE, VIKING!

"PREPARE TO MEET YOUR DEFEAT!"

Re-sheathing his knife, Marcus scanned the debris-cluttered field near him for a sword, but could not locate one in the dark mud.

Cupping his hands together, he yelled at Hiccup,

"IT APPEARS THAT I HAVE NO WEAPON WITH WHICH TO DUEL."

Suddenly, the young voice across from him replied,

"HEADS UP!"

And a long sword flew through the air, splattered into a puddle, and spun across the slick surface until coming to rest near the bounty hunter's feet.

Armor creaking, Marcus bent down and wrapped his fingers around the sword's hilt and rose up, a swell of pride and pang of conflicted emotions flooding his heart and souring his stomach.

The unmistakable motto of his family, carefully inscribed in an ancient tongue rising along the full length of the weapon, stared back at him.

"Death rather than Dishonor"

It was a glorious belief .....

.... that he sometimes upheld.

Raising his blade, still splattered with the dark stains of mud and dragon blood, Marcus signaled the start of the duel.

As his feet cautiously carried him forward toward his opponent, he mentally tabulated,

"Underdeveloped stature ….

"Artificial leg ….

"No armor ….

"Injury to left side …... and left handed at that …."

Marcus stopped in mid-thought as he noticed how Hiccup flourished his sword in reply to the start of the duel and then adopted a peculiarly-angled, defensive stance.

Sighing in his mind, Marcus re-evaluated.

"HAS had training as a sword fighter …..

"And a viking's zeal in battle should never be underestimated.

"Priority one:  Test the opponent's abilities.

"Priority two:  Defang the little dragon.

"Priority three:  ….. Figure out how to spend all of the reward money! "

With intensely focused eyes and a hint of a smile, the bounty hunter sloshed through the mud toward the small viking.

Description
A scene illustration from Hiccup's Quest to Dragon's Fire.

Music I composed and performed to accompany the scene: [link]

With the safety of his Quest team in the balance, Hiccup stands in front of a tree ignited by lightning and readies his sword to duel with the fearless leader of a group of bounty hunters.

Quest episodes are posted nightly Thursday through Monday in my journal.

*Artist's note: Though Hiccup is left handed, in the story he is injured on the left side and had to switch the sword to his right hand.

Here is the Quest episode:

--------------------------------------------------------------
Hiccup's Quest Day 100 – Meanwhile (Near) Camp 69

(The following is an excerpt from Master Rohan's Chronicle of the Quest to Dragon's Fire)

In front of the broken shadow of a great oak tree engulfed in flames, Hiccup stood, stalwart and fiercely resolved to hold his muddy patch of ground, even if the leader of the bounty hunters were to charge at him.

The rain fell in intermittent bands of gusty squalls.

Hiccup's challenge still hung unanswered in the stormy night air:

"DUEL WITH ME, BOUNTY HUNTER!

"IF I WIN ….…. YOU AND YOUR MEN WILL BE SPARED BUT MUST OFFER PROTECTION TO MY TEAM!

"IF YOU WIN ….…. YOU CAN TAKE ME PRISONER AND CLAIM THE REWARD ON MY HEAD!

"IF THERE IS ANY HONOR WITHIN YOU, YOU WILL ACCEPT THIS CHALLENGE!

"WHAT SAY YOU, BOUNTY HUNTER?!"

Opposite the young Viking across the fiery slop of the field and crouched like a predator readying to spring on its prey ….

Marcus , the leader of the bounty hunters, brooded on the implications of the challenge.

Gambling, among other less than savory pursuits, was one of Marcus' favorite pastimes, and he couldn't resist betting heavily on a round of cards when the odds showing on the table were so much in favor of him:

His opponent was a boy, perhaps half his height with limbs almost as narrow as toothpicks.

The viking's dragon friend had disappeared; the other dragon had been fettered; and the members of his gang were nowhere to be seen.

Within a minute or so, the viking would be surrounded by a horde of furious bounty hunters.

The wisest thing for Marcus to do was to wait.

But a challenge to his honor?

This he could not resist!

With a shout to his opponent, Marcus replied,

"I ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE, VIKING!

"PREPARE TO MEET YOUR DEFEAT!"

Re-sheathing his knife, Marcus scanned the debris-cluttered field near him for a sword, but could not locate one in the dark mud.

Cupping his hands together, he yelled at Hiccup,

"IT APPEARS THAT I HAVE NO WEAPON WITH WHICH TO DUEL."

Suddenly, the young voice across from him replied,

"HEADS UP!"

And a long sword flew through the air, splattered into a puddle, and spun across the slick surface until coming to rest near the bounty hunter's feet.

Armor creaking, Marcus bent down and wrapped his fingers around the sword's hilt and rose up, a swell of pride and pang of conflicted emotions flooding his heart and souring his stomach.

The unmistakable motto of his family, carefully inscribed in an ancient tongue rising along the full length of the weapon, stared back at him.

"Death rather than Dishonor"

It was a glorious belief .....

.... that he sometimes upheld.

Raising his blade, still splattered with the dark stains of mud and dragon blood, Marcus signaled the start of the duel.

As his feet cautiously carried him forward toward his opponent, he mentally tabulated,

"Underdeveloped stature ….

"Artificial leg ….

"No armor ….

"Injury to left side …... and left handed at that …."

Marcus stopped in mid-thought as he noticed how Hiccup flourished his sword in reply to the start of the duel and then adopted a peculiarly-angled, defensive stance.

Sighing in his mind, Marcus re-evaluated.

"HAS had training as a sword fighter …..

"And a viking's zeal in battle should never be underestimated.

"Priority one:  Test the opponent's abilities.

"Priority two:  Defang the little dragon.

"Priority three:  ….. Figure out how to spend all of the reward money! "

With intensely focused eyes and a hint of a smile, the bounty hunter sloshed through the mud toward the small viking.