As the evening meal starts to wind down Mr. Plugg calls for silence as he takes and walks out to the center of the deck. With a nod to Master Scourge (who then heads below deck) he turns in a slow circle looking over everyone as they finish their meals.
"I think things have gotten a bit boring hereabouts," he shouts acting like some showman about to introduce his next act.
"And I think I know just the thing to liven' up this old tub."
Most of the crew smile or rub their hands in anticipation, obviously knowing what is to come. And then Master Scourge comes back on deck with the simpleton Owlbear Hartshorn in tow, and a cheer erupts from half the watching men and women, followed by a chant of
"Fight. Fight. Fight."
Mr. Plugg raising a hand to silence the crew once more, but by the huge grin on his face he is enjoying the spotlight.
"Yes a fight, a match up if you will. But who to pit against the Owlbear? Who would stand a chance?"
Not waiting for volunteers Mr. Plugg moves quickly to stand before Nightstorm.
"I've heard you've been wanting to test your skills since you got on board. And you watch the crew gamble almost every night, but don't seem to have anything to wager." His smile shows his nearly perfect white teeth.
"Well tonight's your lucky night," he says pulling out a small sack of coins.
"You get your fight and if you manage to beat Owlbear I'll throw in this purse." The sounds of coins clinking together comes from the burlap bag as he waits for an answer.
Nightstorm stands easily against the rail watching and listening in silence. When Mr. Plugg is done the ninja nods once in acceptance and the crowd roars it's approval.
"We have a match the Owlbear versus the Sod-lander!" the first mate yells above the noise.
"Bare-knuckled fists or wrestling only! No magic tricks and no help from your friends!"
Quickly the crew jostle for a good position to watch as they form a fighting circle around the two combatants. The Owlbear looks to have gotten his name from the recent tar and feathering that some cruel mischievous crewmen played on the man. Nightstorm wears a determined look as he watches and
waits for some sort of signal to go. But nothing happens and the Owlbear gets the
jump on the man.
The savage Owlbear let's out a huge
demoralizing roar, that makes Nightstorm take a half a step back from the man. Nightstorm is somewhat taken aback by Owlbear's display. Having encountered the man chained up on his first day of work, he is suddenly not terribly confident about his chances against such a savage.
As such, when the ninja moves in for the attack, his roundhouse is misjudged and
falls short as his opponent leans back slightly.
With his opponent within arms length the long armed Owlbear clasps his hands together and brings them up high above his opponent. Before the double axe chop comes down
hard across Nightstorm's back, the ninja
attempts to jam his fist into Owlbear's face, but he hardly has time to register his miss before being
walloped.
The crowd roars again cheering as the opponents circle one another. Nightstorm
notices that Owlbear keeps his head tilted to the left and only his right eye on him. As the combatants move back and forth Owlbear tries not to let Nightstorm over on his left side.
The ninja still shaken a bit finds it no surprise when his next attack is also completely
ineffective, and easily blocked by his opponent. But as the return counterstrike comes the ninja prepares to duck and roll as he dives to the left, his fist
connecting with the pirate's solid stomach as he moves by, knocking the
wind out of Owlbear. He
rolls out of the way of the oncoming
haymaker, and the meaty fist sails over him. Quickly recovering and getting back on his feet, Nightstorm spins and
slams his knee into Owlbear's side, dealing another
solid blow, though the man seems he has a lot of fight left in him yet.
Owlbear staggers and looking a little fazed, by the repeated blows, attempts another punch at Nightstorm that
misses completely, but still allows the ninja to counterstrike.
Nightstorm is
not quite able to capitalize on the wounded Owlbear as he follows through with his swing. When he turns though he gives Owlbear a
solid knock on the
head, but it is
not quite the blow it could have been.
The sailors gathered round urge on both combatants, some now even crying out for Nightstorm to win. But Mr. Plugg is not so sure, as he notices Nightstorm's advantage, and all the extra opportunities Owlbear has given the ninja to attack.
"Owlbear! Here!" he says sliding a club across the deck, trying to even the odds.
Owlbear steps back and picks up the club. He swings it around getting a feel for the weapon, and the sailors roar louder. Turning to face Nightstorm he holds the weapon up defensively across his chest to protect himself.
Nightstorm smiles wickedly.
"I reckon you just as good as conceded this match," says the ninja, no longer feeling so cowed by the bigger, crazier man.
"But we might as well give these folks the rest of their show."
Stepping forward, he pivots on one foot as the other rockets forth to slip past Owlbear's guard and give him a
solid kick in the
chest. All the while, Nightstorm watches for the moment he needs to dodge that piece of lumber.
But the kick sends Owlbear reeling into the crowd. They jostle and push on the big man to get back into the fight. Soon he is back standing beside the ready to fight Nightstorm.
Owlbear's eyes go wide and he looks afraid as he backs away from his opponent. His club is held at his side as he withdraws.
Nightstorm steps back into a fighting stance and readies himself for if Owlbear approaches again.
"Looks like your man does not have his heart in it anymore," he says.
"Were he in his right mind, I might take a certain amount of pleasure in that as I finished mopping the deck with him. But he isn't."
Owlbear's eyes go from terror to relief as the anticipated attack never comes. He gives Nightstorm a grin as he stands there.
Then Mr. Plugg steps up and slaps Owlbear in the back of the head.
"Bouts over!" he says in disgust tossing the sack of coins to the ninja before stalking off to the officers cabin, dragging Owlbear behind him.
The crowd surges forward as the quick ninja scoops up the coins, but they only wish to pat the man on the back in congratulations.
