This content was created by Lois Letchford. This content was uploaded by Lois Letchford. This is a YouTube video titled "Isaac Letchford Reads 'How To Be A Pirate': Chapter 18 Part 2" (created 2022-12-22). It contains an English narrated/dramatized reading by Isaac Letchford of a chapter from the book, featuring character dialogue and action between Hiccup, Fishlegs, a tentacled creature/Strangulator, and Toothless. The excerpt describes a tense scene where the creature restrains Hiccup, discusses killing methods (squeezing, poison), and ultimately injects a large dose of poison.
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Way down at the bottom of the treasure mound, Fishlegs was frantically trying to be helpful. In front of him there lay a heavily bejeweled monstrosity of a sword. Despite the fact that it was nearly as big as himself, Fishlegs managed to pick it up from the floor. Purple in the face with the extraordinary effort, he lifted it high, high above his head, ready to launch it at the creature's stomach. Unfortunately, the backwards momentum of the sword was so great that Fishlegs toppled very slowly backwards with it. There was a bronze shield on the floor behind him, and he landed on it with such force that he knocked himself out. The noise of Fishlegs' head connecting with the shield caught the creature's attention, and light dawned And light finally dawned in its dull eyes, which swam into focus on Hiccup. Its tentacle gripped strongly, and escape became impossible. It mused to itself. Not food! Hiccup shouted out. I'm poisonous! Very, very poisonous! Poisonous, hissed the creature.
It speaks. And is poisonous. Is it? I'm poisonous. See?
And it waved the deadly plunger of its tail menacingly in front of Hiccup.
Don't like it when the food speaks.
Speaks, whined the creature to itself.
It tricks me when it speaks. Kill it quietly before it tricks me.
It wrapped its tentacles a little tighter around Hiccup in order to suffocate him. This is all very interesting, Hiccup managed to choke out, his eyes popping. So how were you thinking of killing me, exactly? Gradually, the awful presence on Hiccup's— the awful pressure on Hiccup's chest eased as the strangulator considered the question. Well, it said slowly.
I was thinking of squeezing you to death.
I only ask, said Hiccup, gasping for air, because I was recently nearly swallowed by a Sea Dragonus Giganticus Maximus, who said that you undergrounders were very primitive animals, poorly armed, and only capable of basic forms of killing, Such as strangulation. The creature stopped squeezing entirely. That's very rude, it hissed, eventually rather hurt.
What is this gigantic maxi thingy anyway?
Release your tentacle a bit, said Hiccup, and I'll tell you.
Okay. But no chicksing, or I'll get crossissssssssssssss!
Slowly, the creature unwound its tentacles, leaving them only loosely wrapped around the boy. Hiccup took, in great relief, gulps of air. A Sea Dragonus Giganticus Maximus, Hiccup continued, is a Gigantic scary killing machine as big as a mountain. I'm big, the creature pointed out. It has at least 3 ways of killing, said Hiccup. It can rip you to pieces with its talons, bite you to bits with its teeth, or fry you to a frazzle with its fire. I can do that, said the creature, less certainly. No, you can't! You haven't even gotten any talons, teeth, or fire. So I haven't, said the Strangulator, very disappointed.
But I can squeeze you to death.
He brightened up a bit and began to wrap his tentacles around Hiccup again.
So old-fashioned.
Shrieked Hiccup hurriedly. What about the poison? That's the most modern method of killing around. A Sea Dragonus Giganticus Maxicus hasn't gotten any poison.
Hasn't it?
asked the creature delightedly. No, it hasn't, said Hiccup. I'm very curious to see how one of these fancy new poisons work.
It's not a nice way to go, warned the creature.
It pointed the sharp needle of its tail straight at Hiccup's heart. Suddenly, Toothless flew into the Strangulator's field of vision. The creature lost concentration for a second as the little dragon zoomed up and down right in front of its eyes. By the time it had coordinated its tentacles enough To frighten Toothless away, the Stranglerator was very, very cross. By the time it had coordinated its tentacles enough to frighten Toothless away, the Stranglerator was very, very cross.
I told you no tricksies, no tricksing.
It hissed with venom in its voice.
This will shut you up!
Fishlegs came back into consciousness just in time to see the Strangulator inject the whole tail's worth of green poison— enough to kill the entire population of Rome— into the flesh beneath Hiccup's shirt.
