The Ninja Quest (3 page)

“So the volcano represents fire, and there's snow all around,” you say. “Now we just need to find some water.”

“You mean like that waterfall over there?” Amy asks, pointing.

You turn and see a blue waterfall flowing down the mountain right next to the volcano.

“This is it!” you cry. “The waterfall is water. It's the perfect spot for Sensei's Dojo!”

You and Amy high-five. Then you take out the map and mark everything you see so that Sensei will be able to find it. Even better, from your spot on the volcano you can see a shortcut back to the main area of Club Penguin. You mark that path on the map, too.

Happy and excited, you and Amy hurry back to tell Sensei the good news. He's just as happy to see you.

“This is wonderful,” Sensei says as he studies the map. “You have found the perfect location. Good work, young penguins. You have the heart and spirit of the ninja.”

Sensei waddles over to a wooden chest and comes back with two white robes and white belts.

“This robe is called a
gi
, and it is worn by ninjas-in-training,” he says. “I have one for each of you. The white belt shows that you have begun your first level.”

“So when can we start training to be real ninjas?” you ask.

“First, I must build the Dojo,” Sensei replies.

“But that could take a really long time,” Amy points out.

“Yes, can't you please teach us now?” you ask. “We could help you build the Dojo while we're training.”

Sensei smiles. “Your eagerness is pleasing. But you must have patience. I have been alone for a very long time, and I must have time to think when I build my Dojo.”

You and Amy both look sad, and Sensei notices.

“However, you both show great promise,” he says. “Let us do this. If you can answer my riddle, I will take you on as my pupils right away. If not, you must wait until the Dojo is built.”

“We'll do it!” you and Amy say together.

“Here is the riddle,” Sensei says. “You are the brother of the penguin standing next to you. But the penguin standing next to you is not your brother. How is that possible?”

 

You take the path to the left and see another dead end up ahead. You're about to turn back when something glints off your flashlight beam.

Curious, you move toward it. It's an old wooden chest that's filled with glittering jewels and coins! You can't believe your luck. You're rich!

You start to think of all the items you can buy, and then you think of something else—how cool would it be to share this with other penguins? You can bring the chest into Town and let everyone take something.

Then you remember—you're on a quest for Sensei. You can't stop now, can you?

 

“Sensei, I've made my decision,” you announce.

The ninja master walks toward you.

“Where will you travel, young penguin?” he asks you.

You point to the map. “I'm going to head to the river,” you tell him. “Water and snow meet on the riverbank. I'll travel along it until I find the third element, fire.”

Sensei nods. “The choice is yours. I hope you find what you seek.”

You hoist the pack onto your back once more. “I will do my best, Sensei,” you promise. Then you head off in the direction of the river.

There's excitement in every step as you make your way across the snow-covered paths. You don't want to let Sensei down.

It takes more than an hour to reach the river on the map. Water rushes past you, and it's so clear and clean that you can see the rocks on the river floor underneath. You check the map and see that the current—the direction the water is flowing—leads right out to the sea, and you're not far from shore. That's probably not the best way to go. You're more interested in the path of the river that winds through the mountains. You think you'll have a better chance of finding some undiscovered fire element there.

On the map, the river looks very long. You can walk alongside on foot, but using a motorboat will be a lot faster. You know you can get a boat down at the Dock, but that will take you way out of your way. Is it worth it?

 

You decide that blasting a hole through the ceiling will be the easiest thing to do. You head back the way you came and find the room with the cream soda barrels. First, you roll one barrel through the tunnels until you get to the hot spring.

It's hard work, and you're puffing and panting by the time you reach the spring. But you need one more barrel for your plan to work. You go get one more barrel and stop about ten feet away from the hot spring. Then you push as hard as you can, rolling the barrel faster and faster . . . and then you let go.

Smack!
The second barrel crashes into the first barrel, which slams into the hard rock wall.

Boom!
Both barrels explode, sending cream soda splashing everywhere.

You look up and see a small hole in the ceiling. Not bad! Maybe you can make the hole bigger with one more blast.

As you move to get two more barrels, the tunnel starts to shake and rumble around you. You fall to the ground and tumble across the floor, nearly sliding into the hot spring.

That was a close one! You slowly get up and see that the tunnel has collapsed around you. The entrance is blocked by crumbled stone. Your only hope is the small hole you've managed to blast in the ceiling. You climb up a pile of rubble and start chipping away.

“Help!” you cry, hoping someone will hear you. If they don't, you might be stuck here for a long time.

 

 

“That's easy,” you reply. “If I am the brother of the penguin next to me, and that penguin is not my brother, then the penguin must be my sister.”

Sensei nods, smiling. “Well done,” he says. “You are clever as well as brave. You both will make wonderful ninjas. We can begin your training immediately.”

You and Amy high-five again. “All right!”

“There is one thing I must ask,” Sensei says. “You must keep this training a secret from other penguins. I cannot train others until the Dojo is ready.”

You and Amy nod solemnly. “We promise, Sensei,” you say together.

Then you smile at each other. Your adventure in the mountains is over. But a new one is about to begin!

 

 

You walk slowly toward the black puffle.

“Hey there,” you say. “How are you?”

The black puffle stops in its tracks. It turns and stares at you. You hold out your backpack filled with O-berries. “How about a snack?”

Curious, the black puffle slowly hops toward you and sniffs the backpack. Then its eyes light up and it starts munching on the O-berries.

“Cool!” you say. “So, I'm going on an important quest. Want to come with me?”

The black puffle looks at you, intrigued.

“I'll pack lots of O-berries for our trip,” you promise.

That seems to do the trick. The black puffle hops after you. You fill your backpack with more O-berries and continue your journey.

Before long, you come to a mountain and see that the river flows underneath it. You walk into the mountain cave and are soon plunged into total darkness.

“Grub!” you cry. “I forgot to bring my flashlight.”

Suddenly, a warm glow fills the passageway, and you see that the black puffle is letting off a fiery flame.

“Thanks!” you say gratefully. With the black puffle lighting the way, you move on. As you get farther into the mountain, you hear the sound of rushing water ahead of you.

When you get closer, you realize that the river has widened into a huge whirlpool. There's no space to walk around it on your side of the river. You've got to get across. But how?

You look around the cave. Long stalactites are hanging down from the ceiling. You might be able to grab onto them and swing across.

There's also a jagged stalagmite on the other side of the whirlpool. You have a rope in your backpack—if you lasso the rock on the other side, you could climb across using the rope.

 

You and Amy change into your climbing boots and begin your trek over the mountain. The path up the mountain is covered with snow, but it's not too steep and you're able to safely hike to the top.

“Whoa, look at that view,” Amy says, gazing out across the snow-covered valley.

“It's beautiful,” you agree. Then you nod toward a nearby boulder. “We should rest before we keep going.”

“I'm pretty thirsty,” Amy says, nodding.

You open your backpack to get your water canteen and the haiku book that Sensei gave you spills out. It lands on the ground, open to a page. You read the haiku out loud.

 

“Whoa, that's cool!” Amy says. “It's like a special message just for us!”

You gaze out into the distance. “The haiku seems to be saying that we'll see something important from up here,” you add. “But what? I just see a lot of snow and more mountains.”

There are three mountains across the frozen field, and they're all about the same height.

“Let's keep looking,” Amy suggests. “Maybe we're missing something.”

You look again. There's the hazy, orange sky. There are the three mountains. But wait a minute . . . two of the peaks are topped with snow, but the one in the middle isn't.

“Do you see that?” you ask, pointing.

“Yes,” Amy says, nodding. “There's no snow on the mountain. And I think those clouds above it aren't clouds. I think they're smoke.”

“It's a volcano!” the two of you say together.

“That's perfect!” you add. “A volcano has fire inside. It's surrounded by snow. That's fire and snow in one place.”

“If there's water nearby, it will be the perfect spot for the Dojo,” Amy adds.

“Let's go!” you cry.

You make your way down the mountain and head across the field. The ground is frozen solid, and your climbing boots help you walk on the frozen ground without sliding.

As you travel, you pass an old, abandoned construction site littered with boards and a couple of ladders. A few minutes past the construction site, you notice the land is sloping up. The ground ahead looks uneven.

“Slow down, Amy,” you say. “I think we need to be careful up here.”

It's a good idea. You've come to a ravine, a deep crack in the ground. Looking down, you see that it's a long drop to the bottom and the ravine seems to stretch across the whole field. The only way to cross it is to jump over it.

“It's too risky to jump,” you realize.

“We could throw a rope to the other side,” Amy suggests.

“Or we could use those ladders from the construction site,” you say. “We could lay them across the ravine and climb over.”

 

“I'll train with you,” you reply. “Thank you, Sensei.”

Over the next few weeks, Sensei teaches you all about the three elements. Then one day he approaches you.

“You are ready to continue your journey,” he says. “Look at your map once more. The path you need to take is one you have not seen yet.”

You study the map carefully, and you notice two things. One is a path that goes through the mountains. The other thing you notice is that the river looks like a path on the map. Maybe the river is the right way to go.

 

“Let's keep going,” you urge Amy, and she reluctantly agrees.

You slowly make your way across the field as the snow falls harder and harder. All you can make out is Amy's blue jacket, but at least you know she's next to you.

“We'd better be careful!” Amy calls over the roaring wind. “If we don't see the ravine, we might fall in!”

“Good point!” you yell back. You cover your eyes with your flipper, straining to see ahead.

You don't see the ravine—but you do see a soft, yellow light glowing in the distance. It moves closer and closer to you until finally you see the bearer of the light: Sensei!

“You should have taken shelter,” he says gently. “I fear this path is too dangerous for you. Come, let me lead you back to Town.”