Tales of a Ninja Magician: Of Journeys We Make

Bite of an Old Sea Dog

A cascade of fireballs, kunai dispensers, and cannonballs arced off toward a towering Cursed Warrior. The mysterious, statuesque, black as coal shape waved its wings in front of it, creating a dome-shaped whirlwind that deflected the dispensed barrage fire, cushioned the detonation of the cannonballs, and walled the curious-looking creature off of the flames. With a shrill howl, the Cursed Warrior spread its wings and took off in flight.

"These Cursed Warriors, what on Earth are they? Never in all my years of voyaging have I seen such a thing..." a fit pirate with long hair of silver, a rich and thick grey beard, and a burgundy bandana stared off at the odd-shaped creature that not only didn't resemble a man but didn't appear to resemble any intelligible shape, even if it behaved like a condor bird.

The Cursed Warrior was a core of black, decorated with glowing neon lights of simple shapes that together connected into more complex networks of dots, lines, and circles. At the bottom of the core, there were two sprouts of elongated tendrils that then branched off into three more quadruple the length for each limb. To the upper sides of the core, there were stiff rods dozens of times longer than the sum of the Cursed Warrior, while instead of a head, the Cursed Warrior just had a smaller core stone that branched off into more rods spiking upward.

"You're a fucking has-been, Careg Northon! No wonder you ain't seen nothing but sailors and civilians whose shipping boats you've plundered..." another pirate standing by Careg Northon's side laughed out in mockery of the old man.

"You seem to know who I am, yet I can't say I know you, lad," Careg Northon scratched the back of his hairy head that hid underneath the bandana.

"Why am I not surprised, tramp? Found yourself a cozy little island to retire in and stayed out of the business for a decade, that's what was going to happen. Can't recognize those that have long since surpassed your work when you're looking at them..." a tall and burly pirate with long and slick black hair and a square jaw, wearing a full plate of metallic armor over his red military-style coat seethed, approaching the old-timer pirate and leaning down to press his face against that of the veteran pirate.

"My, my... Young'uns these days don't seem to have any respect for the legends that had them sailing off to the seas for their own adventure..." Careg Northon scratched his back with the two switching positions to stand side-by-side as the howling Cursed Warrior prepared to take a deadly plunge that'd eliminate an entire handful of warriors if they didn't take care.

"Legends? Aye, perhaps that was the case one day, Careg Northon..." the pirate that didn't introduce himself cleared his throat and moved a battle ax out in front of him to prepare to chop off those pesky coral-like protrusions of the Cursed Warrior when he'd swoop down.

Having deflected the myriad of projectiles sent its way, the Cursed Warrior took a plunge. Most men and women dived out of the way. Even if they could stop this aerial configuration of minerals and flashing light, they chose not to strain themselves in what would prove to be a lengthy battle royale comparable to an actual battlefield. Careg Northon pulled out a large hand cannon and took aim at the swooping Cursed Warrior while his companion slid out of the way with a malicious smile. When Northon's eye wandered off to the side, all he could see was the burly and armored pirate bowing before his legendary predecessor.

"He's all yours, Legend..." the burly and armored pirate laughed off and put significant spiteful emphasis on the last word.

Northon grumbled, and gnashed his teeth, turning to the racing cursed missile that homed in on his approximate location. His face had been twisted by desperation to act as the time to get out of the way had passed now. The veteran pirate fired a single hand cannon shot. His handheld cannon spat out a smaller version of the cannonballs that pirate vessels traded during naval battles, though his gleamed with a blue flare. The cannonball punched through a wing part of the Cursed Warrior, cracking it off and leaving it to fall down outside of bounds. The crack had adjusted the trajectory of the air bombing reef creature as it smashed into a wholly different patch of the arena.