The Great Endeavor - A Tuffnut Love Story (HTTYD/RTTE)

16. Giant Talking Sea Slug

"Ah, how convenient," Endeavor observed, staring at the text.

"What do you think you're doing down here?" A low voice boomed from a dark tunnel entrance. Everyone turned toward the voice. Out of the tunnel slid a dark purple blob. It's skin gistened with slime, and two long eye-stalks emerged from it head.

"Ah!" Tuffnut shouted, falling backwards onto his behind in shock, "giant talking sea slug!"

"And you're loud skinny pest, human," the slug growled, slowly slithering toward the group.

Endeavor, however, changed to her stinger form and stood protectively between the slug and her friends. "Stop there, Slug," she hissed.

The creature, Slug, stopped. Extending his eyes outward, he examined Endeavor's scaled face. "You're protecting them?" He asked inquisitively, "they're the reason the island has become so violent. The little balance we had has been lost."

"That tends to happen when newcomers arrive," Endeavor retorted, holding her three tails up and ready to strike. "You know we don't determine the actions of this place."

Slug shrunk his eyes back and spit transparent purple slime at Endeavor. She hissed warningly as it landed on the side of her head. "Says The Great Endeavor," he mocked, "trimmer of the trees, master of the monsters. You hold power here, and it is known."

"I hold no power," Endeavor snarled, unsure what this creature was talking about.

"Yet you are the only one to ever survive; days, weeks, months...we die, but you," Slug raised his already terrifying voice, "a century passes in the blink of an eye for you. But for us, a single minute is a lifetime."

Endeavor felt her stomach twist. Her body morphed slowly back to human as she lost focus. "...A century?" She croaked.

Slug spat at her again. "Did you not realize?" He asked tauntingly, "hmm..." He then began to grow in size. "It doesn't matter," he shrugged it off, "your time ends now." Suddenly, he opened his giant mouth, revealing teeth like a whispering death. It lunged at Endeavor, but she quickly dodged it.

"Guys, get out of here!" Endeavor yelled to the dragon riders who were watching in horror.

But they did not run. "We're not leaving you!" Astrid shouted, readying herself to attack the slimy creature.

Slug turned to the riders and grinned devilishly. "You can't kill me, human girl," he laughed, lifting his thick tail. On the end of it was something black and sharp: a short, thick stinger.

Astrid backed away until she was up against the wall. But by the time the she realized that the singer wasn't going for her, it was too late. The monster had been looking at Astrid, but aiming it's black barb at Endeavor, who was still behind him. The blue-haired girl wasn't able to move fast enough to avoid it. The very tip of the stinger shot out of Slug's tail like an arrow.

But it never hit Endeavor. Somehow, Tuffnut had managed to block the quick blow. But not without consequences. The black stinger met the right of his chest. Endeavor's eyes widened as it fell from his body and dissolved into nothing. "Idiot!" She hissed.

Tuffnut turned to meet her eyes and smiled weakly before passing out. Endeavor felt her body changed immediately. She roared at the slug, a new stinger forming on his tail. He turned back to Endeavor, surprised that she was still alive. But before anything else could be done, she hopped onto his back. All three of her stingers plunged deep into it's slick skin.

Endeavor dug her claws into him to keep her balance, pushing her stingers in much farther than they were meant to go. Black goo began to ooz from the wounds when she jumped away from him. Slug's body began to shrivel, making awful gurgling sounds as it died. Then, just like his discarded stinger, he dissolved.

Flicking her tails to get the goo off of them, Endeavor looked to the fallen man. The other riders were already rushing to him. She changed back into her human form and stumbled over to Tuffnut.

"Is he dead?!" Ruffnut asked is desperation.

For once, Endeavor didn't know what to say. She was frozen for a moment, staring down at the man who'd risked his life for her. Why had the done it? Hiccup's demanding voice snapped her back to reality as he questioned, "is he gonna be okay?"

"He's still breathing!" Fishlegs observed hopefully.

Endeavor pushed through the Vikings and leaned over Tuffnut. His eyes had fallen shut and his skin was beginning to turn blue. "Back off," Endeavor growled to the others in a menacing tone. The others quickly did as they were told. "Tuff, you idiot," she muttered through gritted teeth, examining the stinger wound through his ripped tunic. From the small puncture wound, dark blue veins spread over his chest.

Endeavor didn't know what to do. There was nothing to do. His fate had been sealed. But she couldn't accept that. Pressing both hands over his wound, she squeezed her eyes shut and pushed. She wasn't sure what she hoped to come of doing this, but Endeavor willed life to return to Tuffnut. And when she did this, she was surprised to feel a tingling in her hands. Whatever she was doing, it was working.