GREATEST NEOPIAN WARRIOR: Pirate Vs Ninja Edition

     GREATEST NEOPIAN WARRIOR: Pirate Vs Ninja Edition

     (Cutlass vs katana and cannon vs shuriken,

     It’s anyone’s guess who will be down stricken)

     MATCH ONE: Cap’n Threelegs VS Techo Master:

     PIRATE: Cap’n Threelegs (Eyrie, Male, Late-Age)

     HISTORY: A retired pirate veteran who runs the Swashbuckling Academy on Krawk Island. He became a pirate at a young age seeking adventures, riches, and to toughen himself up. As he grew older and more experienced the pirate life hardened him, making him ever more daring and ruthless. He gained much notoriety for his many thefts on the high seas, becoming a Pirate Captain and gaining his own ship earlier than his peers. But all things come to an end; when he lost his upper right limb it gave him new insight on what one gives up living the pirate life. He replaced his limb with a wooden peg and continued captaining pirate crews for a few years, but when his age began slowing him down he came to terms with his retirement. He gave his ship to his first mate and surrendered to the Krawk Island government. For his willing surrender he was offered a deal: open a training school on Krawk Island and he’ll receive full pardons of his crimes. This suited him just fine; now he can pass on his knowledge to toughen up young lads and lasses without them having to go through the tough pirate life. He has regrets but still remembers the pirate life fondly and holds strong beliefs about what it truly is to be a pirate.

     SKILLS & TOOLS: As an Eyrie he has great upper body strength and wings to fly (though his weight limits him to only hover for a few seconds and jumping higher). From years of being a pirate he has learned swordsmanship, relying on his strength and bold attitude. He also is crafty and knows how to pull off a surprise or two on his opponents. His best known tools are his two prized possessions: his personal captain cutlass, Cuthrote, and the wooden peg that replaces his right limb, Peggie.

     NINJA: Techo Master (Techo, Male, Elder)

     HISTORY: A ninja master who runs the Mystery Island Training School on, well, Mystery Island. Much of his past is shrouded in mystery, even his real name. When asked about his past and name, the Techo Master simply smiles and says it belongs to an entire lifetime ago, explaining no further. While he’s not willing to talk about it, parts of his past life have slowly been revealed. At one time he was a student of the Secret Ninja Training School run by a ninja master who is known only known as “the Techo Master’s Master”. The Secret Ninja Training School wasn’t willing to divulge any more information that the Techo Master hadn’t tell. During the Volcano Mystery Plot, it was revealed that the Techo Master is one of five guardians of Mystery Island who keeps a giant evil Moltenore, Moltenus, sealed within Mt. Techo or otherwise it’ll erupt. While most of his past is unknown, he unquestionably has the skill and wisdom one gains from a long lifetime of ninja mastery. One moment he can be calmly meditating, lifting himself up on his tail alone, and the very next he moves like a gust of wind, unleashing a flurry of sword swings cutting his target to ribbons. But he also has a warm kindness; though he trains hundreds of students he always finds time to help those struggling or who come seeking his wisdom. He also has a sense of humour and doesn’t shy away from telling jokes; at least that’s what it’s assumed he’s doing when he laughs at a “joke” he just told.

     SKILLS & TOOLS: Despite his advanced age, it does not stop him from making quick and precise movements; especially when swinging his katana. As a Techo his body is slender and flexible; he’s also able to use his tail as a long fifth limb. A master ninja, he has mastered many kinds of martial arts, bladed weapons and the art of stealth. The only obvious tool on him is his trusted katana, Kazumi, though he has been known to surprise his opponents with hidden smoke bombs and shuriken.

     MATCH LOCATION: Roo Island Harbor & Boardwalk

     SCENARIO: It was Year 14’s Game Master’s Challenge (2012). The theme was Pirate Vs Ninja and AAA had invited Cap’n Threelegs to represent Pirates and the Techo Master to represent Ninjas. The Techo Master was the first to arrive on Roo Island Harbor’s dock, but that was because Threelegs charted his own ship to follow behind the ferry the Techo Master was on. Both Training School masters, Threelegs and the Techo Master have a friendly rivalry and Threelegs wanted to boast about recent successes he had. Confronting the Techo Master on the dock, the Techo Master listened to his boasts with a smile. “More youngin’s are coming to train with me than you, I think ye be getting’ soft” Threelegs scoffed while wagging his peg limb. In a blink of an eye a katana blade was barely cutting into the peg limb, the Techo Master with a surprised expression as he held the blade’s other end. “Oh, did ye think you were cutting through Peggie that easily? She’s made wit’ the finest Tyrannian Petrified Ironwood, turns the sharpest o’ blade dull in a few strokes,” Threelegs chuckled while taking out his cutlass “But if it’s some swordfighting ye want than Cuthrote is more than happy to oblige”!

     FIGHT!: Cap’n Threelegs brought down his cutlass with all his strength toward the Techo Master. Whipping around like a whirlwind, the Techo Master blocks the cutlass with his katana and moves back. But Threelegs gave him no distance as he charged forward ready to swing down again. The Techo Master got into a defensive pose, but was not ready for Threelegs to unfurl his wings to help him leap high into the air. The Techo Master dodged to the side of the dock as Threelegs landed; he wrapped his tail around a wooden piling and crawled underneath the dock. Threelegs brushed off his knees when a katana blade came right up from the planks and nearly cut his beak. The Techo Master pulled back the katana as Threelegs ran toward the boardwalk.

     After climbing up the stairs, Threelegs saw a glimmer to the side of his eye and pulled up his peg limb just in time to catch a shuriken in it. The Techo Master dived in right after; almost catching Threelegs unbalanced who blocked the katana with a wide swing of his peg limb. The Techo Master then noticed Threeleg’s cutlass was sheathed right before a hard object hit the back of his head; Threelegs smirked as he had a Bottle of Blue Sand in his hand. The Techo Master threw down a smoke bomb to try and retreat, but Threelegs grabbed him in a Bearog hug with a gleeful laugh. But when the smoke cleared, it wasn’t the Techo Master that Threelegs was holding but a Green Techo Plushie. The real Techo Master was by his side and began to jab at some of Threeleg’s pressure points. Threelegs fell back as the Techo Master leaped on top of him, only for the Techo Master to get an eyeful of blue sand; Threelegs had uncorked the Bottle of Blue Sand while waiting for the smoke to clear suspecting the Techo Master slipped away. Threelegs wacked the Techo Master back with his peg limb; Threelegs was breathing heavily while the Techo Master had entered a meditative pose to regain his composure.

     A loud sharp whistle was then heard as Abigail Avinroo rushed toward the two followed by AAA. “Alright, what’s going on?” Abigail demanded. “It’s alright lass” Threelegs said with a hardy chuckle, “Me and the Techo were just warmin’ up for the games”. Both Avinroos looked toward the Techo Master who gave them a reassuring smile and nod. The boardwalk quieted down as the four walked over to the Gamesroom to prepare for that year’s GMC.

     WINNER: Draw (mutual decision, though Techo Master led Team Ninja to victory in the GMC)

     MATCH TWO: Garin VS Ryshu:

     PIRATE: Garin (Usul, Male, Older Teen/Young Adult)

     HISTORY: Captain of the Black Pawkeet, though probably best known for being one of the heroes who protected new Maraqua during the Curse of Maraqua Plot. As children, Garin and his best friend Jacques were always looking for action and adventure, pretending to be pirates and getting into all sorts of mischief (one time getting stuck hanging off a cliff; as he held on he saw a never-before-seen Maraquan Aisha staring back at him, the amazement allowed him to hold on until he was rescued by adults and the Marquan Aisha swam away). At the age of 15 he acquired ownership of the Black Pawkeet; with him as captain and Jacques as his first mate, they decided to become pirates, getting a crew together to both explore and plunder the Neopian seas. Years later he would anger the villainous pirate Captain Scarblade who attacked his ship and knocked him overboard. Garin was saved by Isca, the Maraquan Aisha he saw all those years ago who is able to see visions of the future, and was taken to new Maraqua (Old Maraqua having been destroyed by a whirlpool many would later learn was created by Scarblade). With help from Isca, Garin reunited with his ship and crew and they helped protect new Maraqua from Scarblade who had learned of its whereabouts and planned an invasion. Garin and his crew were awarded the title of heroes and, though Isca invited him to stay in Maraqua with her, he decided to continue his pirating adventures.

     SKILLS & TOOLS: Being a Usul, Garin is quick and nimble, his tail helping him keep his balance and something he can smack his opponents with. His bold and rash personality is backed up by his skill with a cutlass and has learned how to wield two simultaneously just as effectively (though normally he needs to get a second tossed to him by a crewmate, usually Jacques). Though Garin is fine with any ol’ cutlass, his prized possession is a Maractite dagger, True Blue, he keeps at easy reach. However, he has another thing he uses to cut deeper than any blade he has: a gift to gab and knowing the right (or rather, wrong) buttons to push.

     NINJA: Ryshu (Nimmo, Male, Adult)

     HISTORY: For thirty years Ryshu has been training at the Mystery Island Training School. When he was a young student he wanted to skip class and just relax on the beach writing haikus. Seeing potential in him but knowing his hesitance, the Techo Master made a deal with Ryshu he could get a week off training if he could pass an upcoming combat test. Ryshu agreed and revealed his hidden potential by training to his limits every day and passing the test. As promised he was given the week off, but on the first day a group of invaders attacked Mystery Island and he jumped in to join the fray, earning him a medal of valour which he would earn more of as time went on. Some of his greatest feats were done during his Grand Master Quests, a series of five quests a Mystery Island Training School student must go on to become a Grand Master. Notable was his first, the Defensive Grand Master Quest, where he had to use his skills of defense, evasion, and a little bit of smarts to obtain a local tribes sacred artifact (the Techo Master had arranged the test and assured the tribe they would get it back). By disguising himself as a member of the tribe and then outrunning and evading their attempts to stop him, Ryshu got the artifact and returned just in time to pass. Soon all his Grand Master Quests were completed and he was given the title of Grand Master; agreeing to a request to become an instructor at the Mystery Island Training School (with promises of plenty of days off).

     SKILLS & TOOLS: As a student of the Techo Master, Ryshu is just as skilled as a ninja as he is. The only thing Ryshu lacks is the wisdom that comes with age, instead replacing it with determination. Though now a Grand Master and instructor, he still believes in always improving oneself and every day you can learn something new (or better understand something old). Nimmo are already known for their deep meditation ability, and Ryshu combines this and the quick and nimble limbs of a Nimmo with his martial arts to become a force to be reckoned with. Though he knows how to wield many kinds of weapons and carries some around hidden from sight, his preferred choice is the bo staff, Okibudo, he was gifted upon graduating which is made from wood of a sacred tree on Mystery Island.

     MATCH LOCATION: Shores of Mystery Island

     SCENARIO: Ryshu leads a group of students to a secluded beach hidden at the base by Mystery Island’s cliffside for special environmental training. When they arrive, they’re surprised to see a crew of pirates sprawled across the beach and making a mess. “What is the meaning of this!” Ryshu demanded, all the pirates stopping what they were doing to look at them. “Me and my crew just having some R & R after a successful day of pirating” Garin says while walking toward the ninjas from the beach, Ryshu barely noticing the Black Pawkeet hidden between two cliffs off to the side. “You’re not allowed to be here, ‘champion’ of Maraqua” Ryshu said in a mocking tone. “Says who, ninja gofer? Yeah, I know who you are too” Garin shoots back with a grin. Ryshu firmly plants his staff into the sand “Says I! You have no respect for the sands you rest on. I’m going to make you clean up your mess and leave”. “Jacques, would ya’ take care of things with the crew?” Garin said as he stretches and pulls out his cutlass, “There’s a loudmouth ninja in front of me and I’m a pirate, so gotta do my ‘civic’ duty”.

     FIGHT!: Seeing Garin with a cutlass in hand, Ryshu commands for a katana. The moment after the katana was in Ryshu’s hand it was up against Garin’s cutlass; Garin was taken aback from Ryshu’s speed. Both pushed their swords against each other, trying to overpower their opponent, but Garin suddenly stepped back and spun around. Ryshu quickly got his footing and lifted his katana to block what he thought was a sword strike, but instead felt a fuzzy club hit him in his back knocking him forward. Ryshu felt a bit embarrassed forgetting about Garin’s tail, not all weapons are external objects, but that gave him an idea. Using the forward momentum of his fall, Ryshu planted his hands in the sand and swung around his legs to kick Garin in the chest, knocking him back.

     “Cheeky” Garin grinned as he lifted his hand into the air and snapped his finger. From the gathering of pirates on the sideline a second cutlass was tossed over to Garin who grabbed it. “Why did I think a pirate would play fair?” Ryshu sighed as he did a flip over to his staff and lifted it from the sand. Garin dashed toward him and swung his right hand cutlass, but Ryshu blocked it with his staff. Garin tried with the other cutlass but Ryshu twisted his staff to block that one as well. Ryshu was still holding the katana in his free hand so gave it a swing but Garin was able to slide a cutlass free, doing a wide swing which sent both swords loose from their wielders’ hand. In turn, Ryshu switched which hand was holding the staff to grab a hidden sai and swiftly disarmed Garin of his other sword.

     “Who’s not playing fair now”?” Garin said stepping back, “But what should I expect from the second best. If I wanted a challenge I should have faced the Techo Geezer”. “You WILL NOT disrespect the Techo Master!” Ryshu yelled swinging his staff. Garin ducked out of the way and chuckled “Yeah, you’re right, I shouldn’t disrespect another hero like that. Oh, wait, the Techo Master isn’t even in the Gallery of Heroes”. “Because it goes without saying he’s more of a hero than you!” Ryshu was beginning to get furious at the dodgy Usul. “I mean, you say that, but even my first mate is in the book. And if I recall also Jhuidah, and all she does is mix a giant pot”. “SHUT UP!” Ryshu screamed lifting his staff overhead for a strong swing down. But Garin grinned as he sidestepped it, quickly setting one foot on the staff and pulled out his maractite dagger hidden in his coat to Ryshu’s neck. “You’re not the only one hiding a trick” Garin quipped. Ryshu let go of his staff and grabbed Garin’s arm to throw him. “Hold on, throw me if you like, but had I REALLY wanted to end our fight here I could have just now” Garin said with a slightly menacing smile. Ryshu gave back a stern stare; he hated to admit it, but Garin was right and loosened his grip.

     “ALL CLEAR” Jacques yelled over to them. Ryshu looked over and, to his surprise, saw that the beach was clear of trash. “Your mistake was that you underestimated us” Garin began, “Sure, in a fair fight you’d probably swab the floor with me, but that’s why I don’t do fair fights. Also, you didn’t even realize my crew was cleaning up after themselves. Who do you think we are, Scarblade’s slob of a crew?”. And with that Ryshu bowed to Garin and apologized for the misconception. They shared handshakes and the crew of the Black Pawkeet set out back into the ocean as Ryshu continued his special training plans.

     WINNER: Garin (by victory)

     MATCH THREE: Captain Scarblade VS Niten Hiroru:

     PIRATE: Captain Scarblade (Lupe, Male, Middle-Age)

     HISTORY: Some characters have their past unknown because they’ve been able to hide it. However, there are characters whose pasts are unknown because no one dares ask; this is the case with Captain Scarblade. Captain of the dreaded pirate ship “Revenge” and self-proclaimed ruler of the five Neopian seas (with no one quick to correct or challenge this claim), Scarbalde is only known for his recent history. Whereas other famous pirates will at least have some old crewmates from their early years, Scarblade seemingly just appeared out of the briny blue ready to take all the treasures on (and below) the seas through fear and terror. There are actually quite a few origin tales for him, some mundane, others supernatural, so for now let’s stick to recent history. Having established himself the fiercest pirate on the seas (notably it was revealed it was him who destroyed Old Maraqua), after dealing with Garin and the Black Pawkeet crew for pirating in their immediate territory (knocking both Garin and Jacques overboard), he learned that the people of Maraqua had rebuilt themselves and saw it as an affront to his supremacy. He gathered as many pirates and ships as he could to plan an invasion of the rebuilt city, only to be forced back thanks to a timely warning and assistance from Garin, Isca, Jacques, Caylis, and the rest of the crew of the Black Pawkeet. With a major and public defeat on his record, Scarblade has since kept him and his crew to the shadows; still as fierce as ever and waiting for a new opportunity to finish what he started with Maraqua and claim revenge on those who defeated him.

     SKILLS & TOOLS: Nasty, brutal, and merciless are Scarblades go-to adjectives. But he’s not just a vicious tyrant but also a clever tactician. Though he could simply overpower his opposition he still prefers to gain any upper hand he can get and surprise attack his target, defeating them before they have time to react. Aside from his physical traits he also seems to have some skill in magic, or maybe is cursed, as he and his crew are able to breathe underwater (their eyes also glowing red). He has combined his Lupe howl with a mad laughter in order to induce a feeling of terror to whoever hears it. Finally, when it comes to combat, he is the master of wielding his two prizes weapons: A cutlass named “Mutiny’s End” and a dagger named “Tell-No-Tale”, names of which speaks for themselves (and silences (mostly) everyone else who goes up against them and their master).

     NINJA: Niten Hiroru (Kiko, Male, Adult)

     HISTORY: Many warriors align themselves with a group be it a small village or an expansive empire. But there are those few warriors who have cast aside their allegiances and travelled the world, protecting the innocent and slaying the villainous along their way. Niten Hiroru is one such warrior. Some say he’s a Mystery Island guardian whose people vanished like the Geraptiku did. Others say that he’s a former retainer of a slain Shenkuu lord. And of course there’s a few who says he’s just from Neopian Central, found a cool sword, and decided to become a ninja. Whatever the case may be, Hiroru’s history is hard to track as he has travelled all over, righting wrongs he comes across. A poor desert town hassled and raided by bandits? Bandits chased off and stolen goods returned. A kidnapped lord’s daughter? Daughter rescued and kidnappers tied up. Two clans about to go to war over a dwindling water supply? Discovers and resolves a blockage, restoring the water and peace between the clans. He can’t help everyone as he does not choose between equal sides (though he will try finding alternate solutions that satisfy both if he can), but if he wanders across someone in desperate need, he’ll do everything in his power to assure a happy ending.

     SKILLS & TOOLS: Starting off, as a Kiko he’s small in size, can stretch his body and bounce high like a rubber ball, and levitates low to the ground. His levitation is especially notable as he has combined it with his ninja skills to move extremely fast, able to cover a distance of 5 or 6 (or even more) meters in a blink of an eye, without making a sound. His quickness does not only apply to his speed but also the swinging of his blade; many don’t realize they’ve even been struck until they blackout. His 4 foot long katana, Shinigami, is a magical weapon. While absent when not in use, Hiroru can materialize it instantly (and make it vanish just as quickly) and choose to have it be invisible. These are all the powers which Hiroru has used with Shinigami so far, but if it has anymore Hiroru has yet needed to use them.

     MATCH LOCATION: Aboard The Revenge

     SCENARIO: Niten Hiroru is riding on a ferry from Moltara to Altador. As Hiroru relaxes on a deckchair, a sudden silence comes across the entire deck. Listening intently, he catches murmurs that a dreaded pirate ship has been sighted in nearby waters a few days ago. Before he could investigate further, a heavy dark fog rolled over the deck completely obscuring his vision. Suddenly a woman’s scream followed by more panicked yells and a lot of scuffling noises comes to him from all around. Hiroru materializes his katana and swings it around, a pained yell responds back followed by the sound of the pirate foe’s unconscious body falling onto the wooden deck. The ferry is completely quiet now. After tying up the pirate, he focuses his sense of direction to find the ship’s railing. He skims his hand across it until finding a heavy wooden boarding plank leading upwards.

     Hiroru goes up the surprisingly long boarding plank, the dark fog turning into a deep black smoke as he ascends. The smoke finally clears as he boards a giant pirate ship. “About time ya got back up-” said a pirate Bruce who stopped midsentence upon seeing Hiroru, “WHA-“! The Bruce never got to finish his sentence as he and the few other pirates on deck hit the wooden floor, all unconscious. Also on deck were the captured passengers of the ferry who were tied up and being led downstairs before Hiroru arrived. He sets them free and instructs them to take the boarding plank back down, warning them about the tied up pirate still on the passenger ship, but is then told the captain of the ferry had already been taken downstairs. Rushing downstairs and through a dark hall, Hiroru entered an open room. In the middle of the room was the captain, an old Orange Peophin, unconscious on the floor. It was a trap but Hiroru knew he had to walk into it; the door closing behind him as he did and the sound of a plank of wood locking them in coming from behind the door. “I’ll admit you have guts for climbing aboard the Revenge and taking out the deck crew,” said a voice coming from a silhouette of a pirate captain that Hiroru didn’t notice being there before, “But this is MY ship, NO ONE comes aboard without MY permission, and NO ONE LEAVES without it either”! The pirate captain stands up and turns around, a Green Lupe, draws out a cutlass and dagger and charges toward Hiroru!

     FIGHT!: Niten Hiroru had of course heard of Captain Scarblade before, but never did he expect to face the dreaded pirate Lupe. Scarblade reached Hiroru and swung down his cutlass, Hiroru blocking with his katana. Even then, the force of the swing pushed Hiroru onto the ground where he had to quickly manoeuvre to miss a sideswipe from Scarblade’s dagger. Worried that Scarblade may go after the unconscious Peophin captain, Hiroru decided on a risky move. Squashing his body closer to the ground, when Scarblade swung his cutlass down again, Hiroru bounced up to deflect the strike and wildly spun around with his katana. The spinning katana barely missed Scarblade who stepped back against the wall.

     “Pretty good. But remember, this is MY ship. And this ship isn’t your ordinary ship” Scarblade sinisterly grinned as the lanterns providing light suddenly dimmed. As the lights dimmed, Scarblade’s eyes glowed red and he seemingly stepped into the shadows and vanished. Hiroru held a defensive position above the unconscious Peophin captain. A mad laughter filled the room and soon multiple red-eyed silhouettes of Scarblade came out of the shadows and rushed toward Hiroru. Hiroru blocked each one as best as he could; sometimes it would feel like their swords made contact, sometimes it would feel like nothing hit him at all. Hiroru wasn’t sure if this was an illusion or if Scarblade was somehow teleporting all around him in the shadows, but he did know that if he didn’t escape now both he and the Peophin captain were doomed. Once again focusing his sense of direction, he located the door. Remembering there was a plank of wood blocking it on the other side, Hiroru only had one shot at this. As multiple Scarblade shadows were about to strike, Hiroru jumped up and swung his katana around. All but one of the Scarblade shadows vanished, the one that didn’t jump back into the shadows. Hiroru then let go of his katana and it flew toward the middle of the door, the sound of a plank of wood splitting and the two halves hitting the floor heard on the other side. The katana vanished but Hiroru had it materialize underneath the Peophin captain, invisibly, and carried both on his back as he rushed through the now open door. Even though levitating and his sword reducing some of the weight, the Peophin captain still was more than 5 times Hiroru’s weight. They got through the door and down the hall without incident, but as Hiroru was going up the stairs a dagger blade from the shadows sliced him on the side. Wincing and taking a deep breath, Hiroru got to the top of the stairs. A cutlass blade then came down from the shadows, but Hiroru was expecting it and haphazardly dodged it by ramming into the deck door.

     On deck one of the ferry’s deckhands had waited for Hiroru to return with the Peophin captain; the other unconscious pirates nowhere to be seen. “TAKE HIM AND LEAVE!” Hiroru said as the deckhand climbed onto the boarding plank, took the Peophin captain from Hiroru (thankfully he was a Tonu so easily could handle the Peohpin’s weight), and descended down. Hiroru gave a quick look around as he took his katana in hand and made it visible again. Thinking he was cleared he tried to escape but the black smoke closed the exit and a dagger pierced through it. Hiroru blocked with his katana and bounced back. Scarblade jumped out from the black smoke onto the deck, a layer of the black smoke also rolling onto the deck. Scarblade then began playing a twisted game. He would first charge at Hiroru but suddenly sink into the black smoke, appearing somewhere around Hiroru, and either swung down with his cutlass or side swipe with his dagger. Hiroru was completely at Scarblade’s mercy, having to predict both where Scarblade would appear and which of his blades would he use. He most often would try blocking the cutlass because, though he ended up getting cut by the dagger a few times, he knew one strike from the cutlass would end him. But the cuts were adding up so Hiroru had to play his own game. On the next cutlass attack, Hiroru pretended to deflect the swing but let his katana fly out of his hand. Scarblade gave out a mad laugh and loomed over Hiroru thinking he had won, but Hiroru had his katana materialize in his left hand invisibly and jabbed Scarblade in the thigh. “WHAT?” Scarblade screamed in confusion, giving Hiroru a chance to bounce up, grab Scarblade’s left hand which was holding his dagger, and made Scarblade stab himself in the leg. Scarblade gave out a painful scream as Hiroru was able to bounce back and prepared to deliver the finishing blow. Seeing this and realizing Hiroru has an invisible weapon, Scarblade yelled “GET OFF MY SHIP”!

     Hiroru was suddenly swept up by a plume of black smoke and tumbled in the air. A few seconds later he felt he was submerged in water. Letting himself float to the surface, he saw he was in the ocean. “HEY! Are you alright!” he heard as he turned to see the ferry sailing toward him to pick him up. As he got on board and given healing potions and bandages, he looked over at the horizon just in time to see the Revenge vanish into the black smoke; it too soon dissipating leaving nothing behind.

     WINNER: Niten Hiroru (by forfeit)

     Three matches in and, surprisingly, we’re tied! With the first match being a draw and each side winning one match, it would seem like one isn’t better than the other. But that’s a boring result! So instead we’re going into overtime with two bonus matches! For these we’re diving into the VISIONS OF EPIC ENCOUNTERS! Unlike the Annuals of Great Encounters which magically record actual fights which happened, the Visions of Epic Encounters is a magical book which, when asked for a certain matchup, will write one up as if it had actually happened (or maybe it peaked into an alternate dimension where the encounter happened, who knows)! It’s like fan fiction, but MAGIC! So, to see if we can’t settle the score once and for all, let’s get to the first bonus match:

     MATCH FOUR: Captain Dread VS Techo Master’s Master:

     PIRATE: Captain Dread (Kiko, Male, Unknown Age/Immortal?)

     HISTORY: Captain Dread is a character that has been lost to time. No one has seen him in many years, and many question whether he was nothing but a legend. Captain Dread was the one originally credited to Old Maraqua’s destruction, but then it was revealed to have been the work of Captain Scarblade. Now some scholars believe that Captain Dread doesn’t refer to an actual Neopian but rather is an old placeholder name for unknown pirates who had committed extremely terrible acts; a theory further supported by him being, you know, a living skeleton. Still, there are some who insist he was real and terrorized the seas long before Captain Scarblade was even a pup. The only known figure who had “met” Captain Dread was King Kelpbeard of Maraqua, but he has gone on record many times saying Dread was nothing but a legend and it was Captain Scarblade which destroyed Old Maraqua (though still looked uncomfortable talking about it, as if mentioning Dread’s name would somehow summon him).

     SKILLS & TOOLS: For what he actually truly had and could do is unknown, if he existed; We can only go off the few legends about Captain Dread. First the most obvious, he’s an undead being and that comes with a few powers such as immortality, semi-invulnerability, his presence alone makes anyone around him fearful, and able to levitate (though that could also be because he’s a Kiko). Though legends mention his captain’s hat, eye patch, and golden tooth, they appear to be merely status symbols. However his cutlass, Maelstrom, was said able to create storms and whirlpools at its master’s command. OR that was just a natural power Dread had. OR it was an ability of his submersible ship. Legends can’t quite agree which it is.

     NINJA: Techo Master’s Master (Nimmo, Male, Unknown Age)

     HISTORY: One main problem with finding history about the Techo Master’s Master is that his name isn’t known. The Techo Master, and a few of the elder ninjas within the Secret Ninja Training School, only called him “Master” (hence why everyone calls him the Techo Master’s Master to give him some identity) which is also too vague to go on. According to his previous students they only ever knew him as the master of the Secret Ninja Training School; they’ve never seen him outside it and he never talked about his past. Though there is a theory that the tribes on Mystery Island may have some vague records of his activities. Some of their legends made around the time he would have been active talk about a shadow beast with long limbs that grew more of them when attacking. This could possibly be the Techo Master’s Master when he first showed up on Mystery Island: Nimmo’s have long limbs, as a ninja was likely wearing all black so looked like a shadow, and he was famous for a fast, multi-striking technique called “Phantom Clan Foray” that made it look like he had multiple arms (it’s why his statue has multiple arms in the Secret Ninja Training School). If the tribes’ legends are referring to him, and there are no other records of previous martial artists, then it possibly means he was the first ninja on Mystery Island. There have been some suggestions that he may have originally come from Shenkuu, but there’s little evidence to support this. Sadly the trail goes cold here. He vanished one day after an earthquake shook Mt. Techo causing the caves the Secret Ninja Training School were built in to start crumbling. He told his top students to evacuate everyone else while he went deeper down into the caves without explanation. When it was finally safe to go back into the cave, they discovered the passage he went down was now blocked off by magma; it’s assumed he perished.

     SKILLS & TOOLS: The Techo Master’s Master’s style of martial arts is the very foundation of both training schools on Mystery Island. However there’s a difference between the lessons that are taught and the ones he personally used. His students recall his mastery of martial arts but, though he taught the use of a wide range of weapons, he never used them outside of those lessons. Focusing on the “Phantom Clan Foray” technique, it’s a rapid succession of arm and hand strikes that makes it look like he had grown extra arms; it was said he was able to grind stone to dust in seconds. The legends from the Mystery Island tribes would also suggest he had a high ferocity when he was fighting.

     MATCH LOCATION: Techo Mountain Summit

     SCENARIO: In the magma chamber in Mt. Techo, Captain Dread looks down at the pool of magma from a rock arch. He lifts his right hand over the magma, clenched in it a vial containing a blue liquid. Just as he’s about to pour the liquid into the magma, a rock smacks the vial out of his hand and causes it to break on the arch; spilling the blue liquid on it. Looking in the direction of the thrown rock, Dread sees the Techo Master’s Master standing at the end of the arch. “We could have made this quick” Dread said with a scowl as he drew back his blade... and then smiled, “Now I gotta play wit’ ya for a few minutes until the volcano beast hears the mornin’ bell”. Dread then scraped what was left of the spilt liquid into the magma, the magma bubbling more and more as a small quake shakes the room. “The only bell anyone would be hearing is the one for your burial,” the Master says with intensity in his voice and eyes before leaping at Dread.

     FIGHT!: Before Captain Dread had any time to respond, the Techo Master’s Master struck him square in the face with his palm sending Dread flying back across the arch. A crack now stretches across Dread’s face, until a ghostly glow comes from it and it seals back up as if he never got hit. Dread swiped his cutlass in the air at the direction of the Master who felt the start of blistering hot wind coming toward him. The Master dodges behind a rock which starts to glow red hot as the wind blows against it. When the wind stopped the Master flipped onto the rock to jump high in the air, barely touching the hot rock for even a second preventing himself from getting burned. He landed behind Dread and did a spinning kick to push him into the magma, but Dread had already plunged his cutlass into the arch predicting that was what the Master was going to do. A loud snap is heard as Dread swings around and breaks off the arm holding the cutlass as the rest of him lands safely on the arch. The Master takes a moment to inspect the unconnected arm and cutlass, when the arm suddenly pushes the sword deeper into the arch causing it to start breaking apart. The Master flipped to the other side as the arch crumbles to pieces into the magma below, but then Dread’s unconnected arm levitates in front of him and starts slashing as him. Dread gives a wicked laugh as another earthquake shakes the chamber a bit more violently then the last while giant magma bubbles begin to form and pop releasing bursts of hot air.

     With a big gap between him and Dread, the Master decided to handle the erupting volcano instead and runs down a side tunnel. The tunnel led to a small room where a staff adorned by a skull with hair spikes and sharp fangs stood up from a pedestal. The Master took the staff from its pedestal, and barely dodged Dread who flew in behind him blade first. Dread’s cutlass pierced into the wall, but before he could pull it out the Master kicked the blade deep into the wall. Dread tugged at the hilt a few times to no prevail before the Master hit him with a Phantom Clan Foray. Waving his arms in a circular motion, extra pairs seemingly split from them as he released a flurry of strikes. Each strike either cracked or broke off a piece of Dread until the only whole piece of him left was a cracked skull lying on the floor and his hand still holding the hilt of his cutlass. No time to waste, The Master races out of the room.

     Down a few other tunnels the Master reaches a chamber with a giant orange crystal sticking out of a pool of magma. Around the crystal’s base were 5 smaller but still big crystals (about as tall as the Master but with a width of a Skeith) each a different colour (purple, green, yellow, brown, and pink) and they all had blue lines forming on them. The Master tapped the foot of the staff in front of him and out from the magma pool raised 16 smaller platforms; 10 that were beige that formed a ring close to the edge and 6 that were red that formed a ring close to the crystals. Using the platforms he jumped over to the green crystal. Suddenly, from within the giant orange crystal, a pair of fiery eyes opened up and looked at him. “ANCIENT BEAST OF MAGMA BEGONE!” he shouted while holding the staff in front of him. The chamber began to violently shake as the fiery eyes turned into a spiral of flames, coming out of the crystal and into the staff. As the staff absorbed all the flames it began glowing a bright orange.

     “HOW ABOUT YE BEGONE” a fully repaired Dread yelled as he flew down with his cutlass overhead. The Master dodged by jumping over to the yellow crystal as Dread’s attack hits the green crystal, causing it to shatter along the blue lines. “I was thinkin’, let te beast loose and turn the island inta its play pen, send anyone I don’t like to it” Dread exposits before pointing to the staff, “But now dat I know it has a collar... hand it over”. The Master straps the staff to his back as Dread points his sword toward him, “That’s alright; it’s more fun cuttin’ through ya for it”. Dread levitated down to the magma and swiped it with his sword, a pillar of magma launching toward the Master. The Master dodged once again as the yellow crystal collapsed from the attack. Seeing this, Dread darted past the brown crystal the Master was on and slashed the pink crystal causing it to fall apart, trapping the Master on the brown crystal. Dread lifted himself above the brown crystal to see the strange sight of the Master meditating, holding the staff in front of him. Dread floated in front of him, he didn’t move, so he grabbed onto the staff. “Evil pirate of darkness stay” the Master whispered before jumping high in the air and flipping over the giant orange crystal. On his way down, the Master did a Phantom Clan Foray on the crystal, causing it to start breaking apart and tilting over atop Dread. Seeing this, Dread tried to flee but discovered that the staff would not budge nor would his hand let go. Using his cutlass he shattered the brown crystal the staff was stuck in, but the staff still was stuck in a large chunk of the crystal which weighed him down. Dread could only look up in his own sense of dread as the orange crystal slammed into him and then into the magma pool. Meanwhile, the Master hand landed on the remaining purple crystal. As the room began filling with magma, the staff arose from the magma near him still stuck to the crystal chunk it was in. The Master removed the staff and told it “To the hands of Arut-Pekep”. As the staff started to fly away, the Master saw that the bony hand of Dread still clung to the bottom of it. The staff shot up through the chamber, causing the roof to crumble, and the fate of the Master unmentioned.

     WINNER: Techo Master’s Master (by victory)

     MATCH FIVE: Hannah VS Princess Terrana:

     PIRATE(?): Hannah (Usul, Female, Older Teen/Young Adult)

     HISTORY: A famous adventurer and treasure hunter, Hannah’s many adventures had given her the nickname “Hannah the Brave”. Hannah isn’t a pirate per se, actually she doesn’t really like them all that much, but she is a proud Krawk Islander and her thirst for adventure and treasure rivals most pirates past and present. When Hannah was a young girl she would listen to tales of her grandfather’s adventures. But one night her grandfather was slain by one of his acquaintances, a pirate named Captain Bloodhook, who also stole his prized possession, the Mermaid’s Tear. Hannah, who had trusted Bloodhook and even called him “uncle”, grew a hatred for pirates and vowed to get back her grandfather’s treasure. It wouldn’t be until Hannah was working as a barmaid at the Golden Dubloon she would get the opportunity. She came across an old journal detailing where many pirate treasures were hidden, including Bloodhook’s. She went and retrieved the Mermaid’s Tear, and when she was confronted by Bloodhook and his crew, she hid in a room that was full of black powder and used it to destroy his lair. Hannah would then go on many more adventures collecting pirate’s treasure and gain a famous reputation. Years later the leader of the Thieves Guild at the time, Galem Darkhand, learned about a powerful gem, the Heart of the Mountain, hidden in Terror Mountain and decided to steal it. Plotting to overthrow Galem to take over the guild, Masila and Kanrik tricked Hannah into retrieving a slumbering Demigod, the Bringer of Night; Hannah left for dead and cursed. But Hannah survived and headed to Terror Mountain to stop them and lift the curse, running into Armin and learning about the Bori civilization along the way. After Kanrik was betrayed by Masila and joined Hannah & Armin, they and the Bori civilization defeated the Bringer of Night and Galem. Masila ran away, Kanrik became the new leader of the Thieves Guild (and developed romantic feelings for Hannah), and Hannah’s curse was lifted. Hannah is still adventuring to this day, she made headlines exploring caves on Kreludor and for a time was taking on freelance missions (though she preferred treasure hunting so stopped for the most part). But she still makes time to hang out with Armin and be together with Kanrik.

     SKILLS & TOOLS: Hannah is very agile and acrobatic, having trained herself since she was young so she could one day get back the Mermaid’s Tear (and a bit from being a Usul, using her tail to keep herself balance). From listening to her grandfather’s stories, a love of puzzles, and now her own experiences she is also smart and clever; also always making sure to properly prepare for what she’ll need before going on an adventure. She has no preferred weapons, though she always carries around rope and a piece of flint & steel (and maybe a bit of black powder).

     NINJA(?): Princess Terrana (Gnorbu, Female, Teenager)

     HISTORY: Fortune has smiled upon Shenkuu and its royal family as it has blessed them with two daughters to continue the family’s reign. This duty mainly falls upon the eldest daughter, Princess Lunara, who spends most of her time inside the palace studying and assisting her father. Well, technically both princesses are supposed to be doing that, but Princess Terrana prefers to climb the tall Shenkuu mountains with propelling grappling hooks to one day become a warrior... or Yooyuball player... or whatever opportunity opens up to her really (and her father allows, so likely not much). Actually, thinking about it, Terrana really isn’t that much of a ninja either. Anyway, though the palace mentors wish she was more studious, and the guards wish she wouldn’t throw herself into such danger, the Emperor of Shenkuu has had many discussions with his daughter that has allowed her to continue her extreme hobby. Of course this doesn’t mean Princess Terrana doesn’t stir up trouble once in a while, like the time she helped her older sister fake being kidnapped so that she and Lunara could explore Shenkuu without a platoon of guards surrounding her. But though she gets into disagreements with her father, she knows he loves her and that, like it or not, she does have a duty to fulfil as princess; though it can wait until after climbing up 1000 meters of rock.

     SKILLS & TOOLS: With climbing mountains being her only escape from her princess life, Terrana has completely dedicated herself to being the very best and shows she knows her stuff, growing physically strong and endurable in the process. As a Gnorbu her hair is thick and great at retaining warmth, making her able to climb to higher heights that other species may not due to the cold. But she couldn’t climb high if it wasn’t for her prizes possessions, grappling hooks with a propelling mechanism to lift her up when they latch onto something, which she’s able to throw with near-perfect accuracy.

     MATCH LOCATION: Shenkuu’s mountainous outskirts

     SCENARIO: It’s a normal day of mountain climbing for Princess Terrana when she suddenly hears a loud boom. Following the source of the sound, she sees the mountain over has smoke coming off of one of its sides and there’s a cave where there wasn’t one before. She quickly makes her way down and up the mountains to the new cave entrance which looked to have been made with an explosion. Terrana enters the cave to find a tiled room and in the middle of it was an old shrine. Where the offerings would be placed stood the culprit who exploded their way in: a Usul in a green padded suit and goggled helmet. She was holding a crown, but not just any crown; it was the long lost first crown that her ancestors wore when her family lineage came to power!

     “Who’s there? Why do you have that crown? As a member of the royal Shenkuu family I demand you hand it over!” Terrana shouted to the Usul. The Usul turned around and lifted the goggles to reveal a famous face: Hannah! “This crown belongs to your royal family, you don’t say” Hannah teased with a smirk, “In that case I should present it to the Emperor, should be worth a nice discovery reward”. “Hannah, THE Hannah? Well, um,” Terrana began slipping on some of her words, “While under normal circumstances my father would, this was a very reckless way of finding it. Not to mention it’s still my family treasure, I think it would only be appropriate for me to take it and give it to my father”. Hannah looked at Teranna with some confusion for a few seconds, then smiled, chuckled to herself, and put the crown in a backpack. “Well, under normal circumstances I might’ve handed it to you, but a girl gotta get paid, right?” Hannah said with a wink. Annoyed, Terrana takes out her grappling hook; “The only paying you’ll do is a jail fee if you don’t give me that crown now”!

     FIGHT!: Terrana aims and throws the grappling hook sideways hoping to tie up Hannah straight away. But Hannah was too quick, pushing over a candlestick that entangled the grappling hook. “Hey! Be careful, those are priceless heirlooms!” Terrana shouted at Hannah. “I’m not the one who just threw a weighted hook at an offering stand full of fine porcelain” Hannah shot back pointing to all the porcelain kitchenware and figures behind her. Oops, it’s clear that this was no place to fight, so Terrana would have to go in and subdue Hannah by hand. She began to charge in, but before Hannah could warn her, Terrana felt her foot press on a tile.

     Suddenly the torches went out and a batch of spears sprung out of the ground, luckily missing her and Hannah, before going back down. “Okay, great. Listen to my exact instructions. We need to relight the torches to deactivate the trap. Be careful where you step, one wrong tile and we’re shish kebabs” Hannah said as she did hops and flips over to a torch and lit it. When she did a mechanism can be heard underneath the floor. “That should deactivate a few of the tiles” Hannah said as she began explaining the puzzle. Terrana, still annoyed, decided to speed things up by just grappling herself to the next torch. But upon doing so and stepping down on the torch’s tile the spears came back out, thankfully still missing them but the mechanisms in the floor and wall began rumbling and the ceiling started to lower down! Terrana looked for a way out but the spikes had caged them in. “TAKE COVER!” Hannah said as Terrana saw her throw something to the middle of the room. Terrana covered her eyes and ears but the explosion left a ringing in her ear. As she rubbed her ear, Hannah came over to check on her, the explosion broke the mechanism so the ceiling was no longer lowering and had blown down most of the spears. Now VERY irritated, Terrana swung at her but Hannah weaved out of the way. Before she could recover, Hannah tied a rope around Terrana and let out a sigh, “You’re too much. Wait here, I’ll tell your father you’re up here; I should get a bonus for saving your life”. She made sure Terrana was physically okay before leaving. Terrana wasn’t about to let a thief get the better of her, as she wiggled out an extra grappling hook and cut the rope.

     By the time Terrana had cut herself free Hannah was nearly at the bottom of the mountain. Terrana easily closed the gap between them, but Hannah got to the bottom of the mountain first and began rushing toward Shenkuu. Terrana got to the bottom soon after, but Hannah still had a head start and was a little faster than her. She thought that she’d catch Hannah at the gates but they were already opened when she got there. “They must have opened them for Hannah, she is a well known “hero” after all” Terrana reasoned, “But there’s no way she’s getting past the palace gates that fast”. But to her surprise and confusion, Terrana was informed by the guards that Hannah was already seeing the Emperor. Terrana entered the palace just in time to see Hannah handing over the crown to the Emperor.

     “Father! Hannah had recklessly acquired that crown and endangered my life!” Terrana yelled out as she approached both of them. “Endangered your life? How so? By disabling the trap you accidentally tripped? It sounds to me Hannah did the exact opposite of endangering your life,” the Emperor said in a sharp tone, “Daughter, listen to what I’m about to say”. The Emperor turned back to Hannah who gave him a respecting bow. “Hannah, a job well done” the Emperor began, confusing Terrana, “When you brought us the map leading to my ancestor’s lost treasure I knew you were the one to hire to find it”. Terrana could only stand there in shock; her father had HIRED Hannah to find the crown?! The Emperor continued, “What's more, I apologize for my daughter complicating the task and thank you for doing all you could to keep her safe. Terrana, apologize now”. Terrana, having gotten over her shock, bowed and apologized to Hannah for the misunderstanding. “It’s alright, Princess Terrana is a bit rash and headstrong but also very gifted; I’m impressed how fast she caught up with me” Hannah said, her words making Terrana feel better. “Hannah, as promised, we’ve loaded a personal flying ship with the agreed payment” the Emperor continued, “As a bonus, you can also keep the flying ship, with your experience I’m sure the trip back home would be enough time for the pilot to teach you how to fly it”. “Hannah, would you please stay for supper,” Terrana asked almost begging, “I know I don’t really have the right to ask, but I would love to hear about your adventures first-hand”. “If it’s no problem with the Emperor, sure! I got a flying ship now so I got plenty of time to spare!” Hannah said with a hearty laugh.

     WINNER: Hannah (by victory)

     And I believe that settles it! And the winner of GREATEST NEOPIAN WARRIOR: Pirate Vs Ninja Edition is... NINJAS! Sorry folks, during our last match the judges decided that Hannah didn’t count as a pirate nor Terrana as a ninja (and we totally didn’t get a letter from Hannah’s estate giving us a cease and desist order of associating her with being a pirate) so the results didn’t count toward anything; it happens. But still both sides gave us great showcases on what each is capable of and I wouldn’t want to face down either of them, or both at the same time, OR a combination of the two! Pirinja? Nirate? Oh, I’m supposed to be wrapping up! I hope you had fun and stay tuned for next time!