NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

"Imagine playing with fire underwater, Match? I know there are volcanoes below the seafloor, but that doesn\'t mean our magic works there. It\'s... different," I explained, while scratching my head.

I was no magic expert, especially for explaining things to a younger girl. If there was someone more capable of narrating these details, it would be those two idiots sleeping in the cabin.

As we talked about trivial matters, we spotted a ghastly image of another ship from far away. It was not me who noticed it but Match. Using her telescope, she rotated the one-eyed lens (or the binocular) and zoomed in.

"What are you seeing, Match? Is that a ship?! Is everyone even capable of doing that? Draven did not even mention something like another neighbour."

I immediately went back to the cabin and rushed towards the two boys sleeping inside their rooms. Upon knocking at their front door, Wolf was already staring at my figure…. He returned my gaze with his dead eyes, as if telling me to fuck off.

However, I needed his wisdom and skills, since meeting another ship was not part of our voyage.

After telling Okami everything I witnessed, he widened his eyes and slammed the heck out of Ryoshi\'s sleeping bottom. Hunter screamed as loud as he could after coming into contact with Wolf\'s hands.

"What was that for?!" Hunter shouted, while rubbing his butt.

Wolf dragged his hand and raced outside. "No time to explain... Well, the short story is…. we\'re getting invaded by pirates."

"PIRATES?" Ryoshi retorted. "Aren\'t they already dead by now? Those soldiers could have killed them easily."

"Yes. But those soldiers are not on their turf. They have guns, not ships for now. And besides, there is only one pirate that I know in this game….. And there should be a youngster who protects those villages away from the pirates. Peter Pan."

"PETER PAN?! NICE! I also knew about that,"

After their exchange, the three of us rushed outside, only to witness the boat coming in closer. The shape of that ship became more crystal, even without using the one-eyed scope.

Wolf clicked his tongue and borrowed the binoculars. He zoomed in the lenses and witnessed the insides of the ship.

However, after a few seconds, he returned the item to Match, saying, "It\'s Captain Hook. Just as I expected."

I only heard Captain Hook from fairy tales spoken by my mother. That man was a pirate who found treasures across Code. Those pirates fell in love with the sea, so they chose these waters as their turf.

"How strong are these pirates, anyway?" Ryoshi asked, while preparing his bow and arrow.

"Not as strong as those soldiers. But there are still worthy opponents, especially if they\'re fighting on their ship or above water," Wolf answered, and transformed himself into his first form. "But I don\'t have the slightest idea why they\'re heading towards us. Captain Hook was not the type of pirate for stealing other\'s loot. He knows he doesn\'t stand a chance against players."

Nobody could answer Wolf\'s question, since none of us ever faced Captain Hook. I did not even know the guy who planned to fight, considering this was my first time travelling in the ocean.

The pirate shop had thousands of wood hammered to its surface, creating an ancient design than ours. Those pirates even had black sails with an image of a skull imprinted on them. Attached to the sides were dozens of cannons aimed directly at our ship. Although all of us could take those balls down, those arsenals would still pose a problem to us.

Within a few seconds, the pirate\'s ship and ours met face to face, with all the opposing crews waving their weapons. As we waited for a few seconds, a man wearing a gold-trimmed red coat emerged from the cabin. That bloke showcased his ceremonial sword to us while painting his mouth with a grin.

"That\'s….," Ryoshi said, but got continued by Wolf\'s words.

"Yeah. That\'s Captain Hook."

After Wolf introduced the enemy to us, a younger man flew to the skies, wearing a tunic with a hat that had a red feather attached on top. That boy had red hair, and a dagger clipped in his waist while leaving dust as he floated around.

"Who are these people, Peter Pan? Aren\'t we the only ones who have a ship this big?" Captain Hook shouted, while talking to the man named Peter.

That boy nodded and replied to the pirate, "Well, Captain Hook. The ocean is vast, and I am just a spirit who can never grow up! What do you even expect from me?"

As the two jested around, Wolf walked forward and met them two. He brought his balls with him, together with Ryoshi supporting his back.

"Pirates, leave this place. We are not here to quarrel. We just want to go to Wonderland. We have nothing to do with you," Wolf exclaimed, while showing his sword.

Peter Pan raised an eyebrow and retorted, "I know. But you may have something that belongs to us... That ship looks like a better pirate ship than ours. We take that boat and make it ours!"

Captain Hook fell silent upon hearing Peter Pan\'s words. I could tell from his eyes that he was not into that plan. However, those pirates behind him shouted their battle cries while preparing to fight us head-on. Those sailors tossed the ropes on our ship and aimed their cannons at us. Within seconds of preparations, the sailors fired their cannons, attempting to hit our ship.

But Wolf was too quick for these pirates as he launched himself forward, destroying those obsidian balls. Ryoshi rolled backwards and discharged multiple arrows at once at the pirates. He did not kill our enemies, but pinned them on the wall using his bolts.

After a few seconds, a dozen guards remained standing, with Peter Pan and Captain Hook staring in front. They dodged and blocked Ryoshi\'s arrows instantly, using a barrier of some sort.

As I squinted my eyes, the dust that Peter Pan showered shielded the boat. That barrier gave it away as soon as the waves crashed against the ship\'s invisible layer.

"Aren\'t they a special bunch? Captain Hook, I\'m going in! Cover me!" Peter Pan shouted, while dashing straight towards us.

Captain Hook had no choice but to follow Peter Pan\'s command. He took out a pistol from his hand-not the one that those soldiers had and aimed it at Wolf.

Wolf shouted at me and gave me a command, "Take that flying kid out and toss him to the ship! We can\'t let him attack the Match, okay?!"

Amidst the battle, Wolf placed utmost priority on Match. There was a hidden meaning behind it, but I did not know what Wolf wanted to say. But for now, I focused on my goal and stayed with Match, protecting her from Peter Pan.

(note: Peter Pan is a kid that never grows old. So seeing a kid would want him to recruit/kill them)

Match readied her magic circle and fired her blazing balls in Peter Pan\'s direction. However, that flying boy dodged all of them with extreme speed. It even surpassed my speed if Peter Pan wanted to be a serious opponent.

Peter Pan dove to Match\'s fore and tried attacking her using his fist. But I dashed in front of Match before Peter Pan could even land a hit on Match. I used my penitent\'s blade to obstruct Peter Pan\'s blow, but it did not damage his skin.

After receiving a blow from my sword, Peter Pan moved backwards and gathered his moment once again. He was like an eagle soaring the skies, with his eyes glued to his prey. I could not help but think of new ways of attacking this birdman without feathers. Since none of us could fly, it became difficult for us to catch him….

"Match, apply wind attributes to my legs!" I ordered.

Match followed my instructions and placed the magic circle below my feet. "I added the fire element on the wind gliders! You can boost your flight skills by activating the nitro! Wolf taught me about this earlier!"

It was what Match said. I turned on the nitro, which enhanced my speed by three-fold! With this speed, I knew I could keep up with Peter Pan!

As I glided to the sky, Peter Pan noticed me flying with him. But before he could act, I used my penitent\'s blade and tried cutting his thigh. Peter Pan dodged my attack and boosted his own speed limits. So, right now, we had a battle in the air as if we were in a dogfight.

Within a few seconds, I finally caught up with the young boy and pounded him on the ship\'s platform. However, before we could land, the dust-protected him, throwing me backwards while carrying Peter Pan away from my hands.

As I glanced in Wolf\'s direction, he finally trapped Captain Hook with a rope to keep him in place. With their Captain down, these pirates would surely give up pursuing our tails.