Welcome to Asgard

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Welcome to Asgard is the story of the Hochstadt Gang, and their successful discovery of the ancient city of Asgard. However, the ancient Sigurd is not happy with their presence, and he doesn't want them to leave, in fear that they will tell all of Antarctica of the location of his secluded city.

Prologue
It was a quiet afternoon in the Ninja Hideout on a calm server on Club Penguin. Sensei sat in the shade at the corner of the building on a pillow he had brought from the Dojo. Above the giant symbol of the three elements on the courtyard floor, Clovis stood in front of Fuut Ga, who was drinking a quick drink of water.

Fuut Ga:"Since you are an EPF Agent, you will need to learn to defend yourself."

Clovis:"By learning Card Jitsu?"

Sensei laughed in the background.

Fuut Ga:"No."

Clovis:"Oh. Then what?"

Fuut Ga closed the cap of his water bottle and put it on the ground.

Fuut Ga:"Self Defense, obviously. Specifically, Kung Fu."

Clovis:"YEEAAH! I'm ready to do some wood chopping!"

Fuut Ga rolled his eyes.

Fuut Ga:"That's Karate! Don't get that mixed up!"

Clovis:"Ok..."

Fuut Ga began to teach him the basics of fighting, from punches and kicks to grabs and throws. A few hours later, Fuut Ga started to spar with the awkwardly fighting jester. Then, Fuut Ga faked by pretending to hit Clovis at his head, only to have Clovis try to block the fake and receive a blow to his chest from Fuut Ga's unexpected kick. Clovis flew across the room and stumbled on the floor like a fallen leaf that was getting blown by the wind.

Fuut Ga chuckled.

Fuut Ga:"You have much to learn."

Clovis sat up, embarrassed.

Clovis:"I am sorry to have failed you."

Fuut Ga:"No, you didn't fail, you're new to this. I expected this. I just said you have a lot to learn before you get good at this. You know, you can't always rely on weapons to help you defeat your enemies..."

That moment, Fisch ran into the Ninja Hideout.

Fisch:"Hello Uncle Fuut Ga! Hey, Clovis."

Fuut Ga:"Good evening, Fisch. You seem excited."

Fisch:"Yes, I am going to undergo a new archaeology project!"

Fuut Ga awkwardly chuckled.

Fuut Ga:"How fun..."

Clovis:"Are we coming with you?"

Fisch:"Well of course! What, did you think your brother forgot about you? That's Swiss Ninja for you, not me."

Fuut Ga:"Ok, Clovis. I guess our practice is done for the day."

Fisch:"Come to my Igloo tomorrow for tea and I'll discuss everything. I am also going to be inviting Akbaboy, Corai, the two puffles, Jock, and Gottfried. I was going to invite Dave, but he said he was doing some business in Liguria with his grandson. This new adventure of mine is going to be an momentous project!"

At the igloo the next day, everyone was at Fisch's igloo. As they sat around the table with their tea and pastries, Fisch silenced his guests with his bell.

Fisch:"Attention, Attention everyone!"

Everyone stopped patiently to hear Fisch's big announcement.

Fisch:"My big plan is to search for the lost city of Asgard! I am sure all of you know about it, after all, it is the home city of the legendary Sigurd, father of all Viking Penguins and the Khanz. I know that most of us had to read the Sigurd and Bacchus novel back in Grade School so I'm sure everyone knows what I'm talking about..."

Everyone nodded their heads.

Fuut Ga and Gottfried looked at each other with unpleasant faces that seemed to agree with each other.

Fisch:"We know that Sigurd settled and started the city in the mountains of Trans-Antarctica, in a rich valley where there was a lake. The city was once the hub of the Viking world, a jewel among no other. They say the city walls are made of pure Obsidian..."

Akbaboy:"Booring! Come on, all we are going to find is some ruined city?"

Fisch:"Yes, a ruined city...but a RICH ruined city. They say Sigurd's palace was hand crafted of wood and looks similar to the Dojo itself..."

Akbaboy:"Still not interesting!"

Fisch:"AAAND he has his own treasury of gold and silver items from around the Antarctic."

Akbaboy:"I'm in, then!"

Jock laughed and drew his sword in the air. He chanted: "ALL FOR ASGARD!"

Fisch:"I guess that settles it, then! We're going to Trans-Antarctica!"

Chapter 1:The Bigger Picture
Fisch pressed his face against the train's window as he gazed upon the Trans-Antarctic countryside, filled with endless pine trees and mountains endlessly blanketed in snow. Leonardo was sitting next to him.

Leonardo:"Are we close?"

Fisch:"Soon. It's only been a few hours since we left Cape Snowme city. We need to get off at a town called Mergelin. Lucky enough this old passenger train is one of the few that is allowed to occasionally take the Itinerod Circuit."

Gottfried:"I have a cousin from my mother's side who lives in Mergelin! Many of the citizens there are from Alemania."

Fisch:"That is good, but I know I am not welcome there. That's why we're not staying there long."

Corai moaned, and asked:"Aww man! Are we taking another train or something?"

Fisch:"No. Mergelin is the closest city to where this ancient yet not completely accurate map of where Asgard should be...We will need to hike quite a distance from Mergelin to find the location according to the map!"

Akbaboy rolled his eyes, and so did Fuut Ga and Piper.

Akbaboy:"Don't copy me, puffle!"

Piper:"Hey, I did it first! Stop copying me, penguin!"

Akbaboy took out a pan and slammed it on Piper, who was stunned.

Piper growled angrily.

Fuut Ga snatched the pan away from Akbaboy and threw it out the train's window.

Fuut Ga:"Quit fighting, you two!"

Akbaboy:"My Pan! I paid a lot for that brand new non-stick pan!"

Fuut Ga turned around and ignored Akbaboy. Piper stuck his tongue out at Akbaboy.

Suddenly, the intercom came on and the conductor began to speak: "Attention passengers, next stop is Mergelin, which is in 5 miles."

Gottfried sniffed the fresh mountain air as he stepped out of the steam train. He looked around at the familiar architecture of what was near resembling to his homeland. As he followed behind the rest of the Hochstadt Gang, who were parading through Mergelin quickly, Gottfried was happy to see that everyone continued to greet him with the familiar "Guten Tag". He wished that he could stay, but he knew that it would upset Fisch. Leoanrdo looked back as Gottfried spotted his cousin clearing out snow from the street with a shovel.

Gottfried:"Guten tag, cousin!"

Gottfried's cousin stopped his work and looked up.

Gottfried's Cousin:"Guten tag, Gottfried! What a surprise! What are you doing here in Mergelin? Oh, come in and have some tea. You can come chat with Aunt Gerda.."

Gottfried:"Oh, I would love to, but I am here on a mission with the Hochstadt Gang."

Gottfried's Cousin:"Ah, have fun! They are your family too...You better go, they're leaving without you."

Gottfried placed Leonardo on his shoulder and ran ahead to catch up with the Hochstadt Gang. As they exited the peaceful alpine homes of Mergelin, the group found themselves in the untouched areas of the wilderness.

Fisch:"Today, adventure awaits, and tomorrow, unimaginable riches!"

That night, the group set up camp and fell asleep comfortably in the tents. However, Fisch was restless and went off scouting in the middle of the night with Jock, who was very excited about the trip.

Fisch:"The fresh air is refreshing. It is great to get back in touch with nature."

Jock:"It is. So do we really know where we are going?"

Fisch:"In a way...no...I am beginning to doubt the accuracy of this map."

Jock:"Let me see."

Fisch took out the map and handed it to Jock. He lifted up his lantern so Jock could see.

Jock observed the map for a few minutes before he spoke.

Jock:"I see the problem...there shows a river that connects Asgard Lake to the sea....right where Frostize is..."

Fisch:"That's the problem. I thought perhaps it was an offshoot river that went into the Lorraine River, but this map doesn't even show anything accurate to the true Lorraine River."

Jock:"That's because this river IS the Lorraine River!"

Fisch:"What do you mean?"

Jock:"I remember now...the Lorraine River's course was disrupted during the formation of the Hochstadt Canyon!"

Fisch facepalmed.

Fisch:"That's right! Why didn't I think of that before?"

Jock:"Perhaps I know about Viking history than you do. I lived in that area as a youth."

Fisch took out a highly detailed topography map of Antarctica and a crayon.

Jock:"What are you doing?"

Fisch:"Thinking. If the Hochstadt Canyon didn't exist, then where would the path of the Lorraine River go?"

Jock shrugged.

Fisch scribbled out the canyon and began drawing the original course of the Lorraine River.

Fisch:"Wait a minute...if we are right here...then...that means we are not far from where the original Lorraine River was! It passes through the valley ahead. I suppose we need to follow the valley until we reach the lake."

Jock:"I guess you are right on that. Looks like we have a better plan after all."

The next morning, the Hochstadt Gang had a hearty breakfast and packed up camp. Under the guidance of Fisch, they discovered the valley, and began to follow it for several miles. After a while, Fisch noticed that the sides of the ancient river that were once the banks began to level out, pushing the mountains farther away from each other. Then, he spotted a peculiar pile of stones.

Fisch:"I spot something very interesting..."

Fisch ran up to the top of the cleft onto a flat clearing. He kneeled in front of the pile of stones to observe them. Leonardo stood next to him.

Leoanrdo:"Stones? What are interesting about stones?"

Akbaboy:"Fisch, have you lost it?"

Fisch gave Akbaboy "the look" and turned back to the stones. Akbaboy stepped back and kicked Piper like a soccer ball.

Piper:"Hey!"

Fisch:"These aren't ordinary rocks. These are stones from a building..."

Fisch pushed one of the rocks, and to his surprise, they did not move. He looked closer and could see that mortar and cement were holding all the rocks together.

Fisch:"How glorious! I think we have found one of the buildings of Asgard! I suppose we must have passed the walls already! Quickly, we need to examine this place!"

Fisch handed everyone what seemed like paintbrushes.

Akbaboy:"Are we painting those stones or something?"

Fisch:"No!"

Fisch began to clear the snow and brush the ground with his brush.

Akbaboy:"What are you doing? That's no way to dig! We should use shovels!"

Fisch:"We don't want to damage any artifacts that may be buried! Let's scrape for some evidence first. I am sure this building can give us clues on how Asgard city fell..."

Everyone began to work at cleaning up the area. All the snow was uncovered, and in a few hours, the whole building's walls were uncovered. Strangely enough, even it's wooden floors were still intact. Meanwhile, they also discovered several penguin and puffle skeletons, shattered glass, broken and burnt pieces of wood, broken arrows, swords, tattered clothing, armor, a small box of gold, and many chests that were filled with papers.

Fisch examined the chests filled with paper closely. He took out one of the dusty, old papers and attempted to read it.

Jock:"What does it say?"

Fisch:"I can't tell...this isn't a Viking language. It's Penguinian!"

Jock:"But that's the language of the High Penguin Confederacy."

Fisch:"That's right. And they were the last nation to be in contact with Asgard before it's disappearance..."

Fisch grabbed his brush and bristled at the paper. a chunk of dirt fell off to reveal the Royal Seal of the High Penguin Confederacy.

Fisch:"I don't think this is a normal document..."

Corai:"So...did we find the ruins of a High Penguin Confederacy settlement instead of the ruins of Asgard?"

Fisch:"I'm not sure. Jock, can I borrow your Penguinian Dictionary?"

Jock:"Sure thing, I always use it on my trips to Freezeland."

Jock handed Fisch the dictionary. Fisch took out a pen and his notebook and started translating. Meanwhile, the rest of the group began to set up camp for the next night.

Half an hour later, Fisch was done translating, and called everyone over to see what he found.

Fuut Ga:"So what did you find?"

Fisch:"This paper is no ordinary paper as I have said before. This is actually a letter from the King of the Confederacy to the High Penguin Confederacy's embassy in Asgard! This means that this paper is from the Early High Penguin Confederacy period, so it's older than 1200 years old!"

Akbaboy:"So, what's the point?"

Fisch:"This means we're in Asgard!!!"

Everyone looked around at the surrounding trees and the trench that was once a river.

Fuut Ga:"It doesn't look like much anymore."

Fisch:"Maybe so, but if we cut down these trees, we could discover more ruins! I am sure Sigurd's palace's ruins are nearby!"

Jock:"Ok...then...what happened to Asgard??"

Fisch:"Well, according to the evidence, I hypothesize that the HPC seiged and destroyed the city overnight."

Fuut Ga:"But that is peculiar! Those skeletons dont look like normal sized penguins. They were obviously High Penguin."

Fisch:"Perhaps the Vikings fought back and killed the ambassadors during the seige?"

Jock:"That is just speculation. But what now?"

Fisch:"We will stay here for a couple weeks as planned by excavating the whole area. Hopefully we can find more ruins."

Fuut Ga moaned while the others sighed in annoyance. Everyone except Fisch returned to the campsite.

Clovis:"Hey guys, let's have at least a little fun while we stay here for a while!"

Gottfried:"What do you suggest?"

Clovis:"Let's go on a hike!"

Fisch:"That sounds like a good idea, but someone needs to watch camp, and I wish to continue excavating the site at the moment.

Fuut Ga:"That's ok. We'll go ourselves."

Fisch:"Fine. I'll stay here."

Corai:"I will stay with you Fisch, so you don't feel lonely."

Fisch:"Thanks, Corai."

Jock:"So the rest of us can go hiking?"

Fisch:"Yeah, sure. Just be back before sundown. I at least want to get serious on this project tomorrow."

Jock:"Sure thing. We'll take notes on things we find!"

As the group wandered aimlessly in the dark depths of the sea of tall trees, they relaxed and enjoyed the nature.

Jock:"Uh, Clovis? Do you even know where we are going?"

Clovis:"Nope. That's why this is a hike. We're exploring new places."

Piper:"I love adventure."

Akbaboy:"And I love to play soccer!"

Akbaboy kicked Piper hardly, who flew right into Clovis. Clovis stumbled and fell.

Clovis:"Hey!"

Akbaboy:"Sorry Clovis! Didn't mean to hit you there!"

Fuut Ga:"Quit teasing the poor puffle, Akbaboy."

Akbaboy:"Aww. Come on, it's fun. You should try."

Leonardo rushed away from Akbaboy and jumped onto Clovis's shoulder.

Clovis:"Hey, I see something in the distance. It looks kind of black."

Jock:"Perhaps more ruins! Let's see."

The Hochstadt Gang picked up their pace and ran towards the black object. They did not stop until they were only a few feet in front of it.

Clovis:"It's a wall!"

Jock:"Not any ordinary wall. This must be one of the remaining fragments of the Walls of Asgard city! This is incredible! And look, it's made of Obsidian!"

Piper looked both ways to see that the wall continued on both sides.

Piper:"It looks like a large portion of these walls were preserved. I find this odd."

Jock:"It's so well intact!"

Gottfried:"What are those heinous carvings on the walls?"

Jock:"Those are carvings of history, of course."

Jock looked at the image in front of him to see several Viking ships and crudely carved Viking Penguins charging at what seemed like Khanz Penguins.

Fuut Ga:"It appears to be a battle that they are trying to portray."

Jock:"Perhaps. I think I know this story from somewhere in the past..."

Suddenly, a group of arrows began to rain on the Hochstadt Gang, who successfully dodged them. Jock away from the rest of the Hochstadt Gang and drew his sword. Then, a group of rogue Viking Warriors, dressed in thick black tunics of fur, jumped over the wall and subdued the Hochstadt Gang with a crudely made net, except for Jock, who they ignored.

Everything happened so fast that they had no time to react because they were all in shock.

Soon, a large group of Viking soldiers arrived and surrounded the trapped Hochstadt Gang and Jock, who stood beside them.

Viking Soldier:"Flippers up where I can see them!"

Gottfried:"Let us go, you Viking brutes!"

Viking Soldier:"Shutteth up, Knight! We do not tolerate thy kind in Asgard!"

Gottfried:"What Asgard! It is in ruins!"

Viking Soldier:"HARK! How dare thou speak of the great city in such manner! The city behind these walls is richer than any on our globe!"

Clovis:"So....Asgard is actually on the other side of the wall, not here?"

Viking Soldier:"Of course not! Art thou mad, you fool?"

Gottfried:"Ye dogs! We have had enough of your barbaric welcoming! Let us free and we mean you no harm!"

Viking Soldier:"Tell that to the Commander!"

The Viking Soldiers saluted as a Viking Penguin wearing shiny black and gold armor approached.

Viking Commander:"At last! We have actual prisoners from the outside! They are a peculiar bunch."

Gottfried:"Sir, let us go! We are but innocent penguins and puffles taking a pleasure hike in the Wilderness!"

Viking Commander:"It does not matter. All of you are under arrest for discovering Asgard. All outsiders who discover our hidden city are to be arrested and put to trial."

Gottfried:"YOU BRUTE!"

Viking Commander:"Oh please, knight! Thou art nothing but a cowardly soldier whom we Vikings have detested for centuries. We haven't seen thy kind accidentally wander here for almost 600 years, according to Sigurd."

Fuut Ga:"He is alive?"

Viking Commander:"Yes, he is. He is our immortal leader who has been with us since the beginning. Of course, thou art but a mediocre Ninja! Thou art also cowardly fighters who must rely on ridiculous cards!"

Fuut Ga:"But we also use Fi-"

Viking Commander:"SILENCE, Ninja!"

Akbaboy covered Fuut Ga's mouth with pleasure.

Viking Soldier:"We also have this here Viking penguin who came with them. Should we arrest him as well?"

Viking Commander:"No. He is one of us. All Vikings are welcome to Asgard."

Jock bowed with respect.

Jock:"Thank you, good Commander. But these are my friends."

Viking Commander:"Friends or not, you are not allowed to bring non-Viking Penguins to Asgard. Especially no Knights and Ninjas!"

Jock:"I apologize. I did not know. We were all searching for this legendary city. I am happy we found it."

Viking Commander:"Wonderful. What is thy name, son?"

Jock:"My name is Jock Hochstadt."

Viking Commander:"An interesting name it is."

Viking Soldier:"Now you will fit in with the rest of us, Jock! Haha! You will enjoy yourself now."

The Viking soldier slapped Jock on the back. Jock awkwardly laughed with the rest of the Viking Soldiers.

Viking Commander:"Well, don't just sit there, men! Tie up our prisoners and let's head to the Palace to decide their fate and to welcome another Viking to Asgard."

Chapter 2:City of Vikings
The Hochstadt Gang were dragged along the walls until they reached an elaborate gate, where they entered the city. All around them, they could see the numerous traditional Viking homes made of wood that had lightly colored thatched roofs. At the center of the city was Sigurd's palace, which was completely made out of ancient dark colored wood and had a similar appearance to the Dojo, only much larger. The paths of the city were made of crude cobblestones that were much larger than cobblestone streets on the Ninja Archipelago islands. Viking Penguins of many ages were busily walking about the streets. It also appeared that the male penguins continued to dress in tattered, patched tunics made of wool and old rags, while the female penguins continued to wear faded dresses of cotton and dirty white aprons. Children played out on the streets and frequently chased each other. However, everyone stopped to look at the foreigners as they walked down the main road to the palace. Behind the palace, the sparkling blue lake of Asgard could be clearly seen, which was surrounded by more civilian homes.

Minutes later, the group arrived at the metal front doors of Sigurd's palace. The Commander formally knocked the metal doors.

"Who goes there?"

Viking Commander:"Commander Signy. Let me in, please. I have prisoners that need to be put to trial."

"Very well."

The doors opened up to reveal a darkened hallway. At the far end of the hallway, everyone could see the dark silhouette of Sigurd sitting on his elaborate throne. There were very few torches inside. Everyone kept their eyes on Sigurd, except for Jock, who was impressed by the weapons that were on display behind the two rows of columns that led to Sigurd's throne. Behind the rows of columns were very long balconies from the second story that were lined with Viking Soldiers.

At the last pair of columns before Sigurd's throne, the Viking Soldiers halted.

Sigurd stood up.

Sigurd:"What do we have here, Commander?"

Commander Signy:"We have a group of foreigners who have discovered the city walls, sir. One is a Knight, and one is a Ninja."

Sigurd:"How interesting."

Gottfried:"Good King Sigurd, ruler of the Vikings, please pardon us. We do not mean you any harm."

Sigurd:"We do not allow outsiders to discover our city. All of thou are never allowed to leave this city again."

Gottfried:"YOU BRUTE! LET US GO, YOU VILE VIKING BARBARIAN!"

Sigurd:"Silence, stupid knight! I will have thou killed! Thou shall add perfectly to my collection..."

Gottfried:"Uh...what collection?"

Sigurd:"I guess thou haven't seen it when you came in. Guards, show him."

Several Viking Soldiers with torches walked to each column. They raised the torches in the air to reveal a Penguin skeleton dressed in Knights armor that was chained to each column.

Sigurd:"My most recent Knight I had murdered was 600 years ago. Poor fellow...When I kill thee I will hang thy skeleton and armor above my throne!"

Gottfried shuddered in complete disgust. No wonder the palace had a bad odor to it.

Sigurd:"Oh don't worry, we will kill thee first. Then we shalt put thee up there..."

Commander Signy:"What about the rest of them, sir?"

Sigurd:"Let's see. What else do we have?"

Commander Signy:"A Ninja, two puffles, a seemingly regular civilian Penguin, and a Jester."

Sigurd:"A Jester, thou saith? I haven't had a court Jester in over 50 years!"

Clovis:"What happened to your old jester?"

Sigurd:"He angered me so I had him killed. I put head on a pedestal as a decoration of the palace."

Sigurd pointed to a pedestal that stood among the weapons that hung on the wall. On top of the pedestal was a Penguin's skull with an ancient faded jester's hat on top.

Clovis:"Oh how interesting..."

Sigurd:"Yes, thou shall be my new court jester for now. The rest of these fools I don't need; just lock them up in the dungeon, as well as the Knight!"

Commander Signy turned to his men, who dragged everyone away, with Gottfried and Fuut Ga yelling insults. Only Clovis and Jock stood before Sigurd.

Sigurd:"Commander Signy?"

Commander Signy:"Yes, sire?"

Sigurd:"Who is this strange Viking whom thou hath not introduced me to?"

Commander Signy:"Oh, I am terribly sorry, my King. Please meet Viking Jock Hochstadt, from the outside world. He is to become a new addition to the city of Asgard."

Sigurd:"Ah! I commend thee, Jock, for thy cunning intelligence and hard work to discover the city of Asgard, a place of riches where many Vikings wish to find."

Jock kneeled before Sigurd respectively.

Jock:"Thank you, King Sigurd."

Sigurd:"Yet you are but a soft and weak Penguin, Jock. Thou art not worthy to be a true Viking until thou join my army of trained men, and surely thou shalt be one of us, although thou dress in the true Viking way. The outside world hath changed much, and hath poisoned all the Vikings who art no longer under my control. Now they art nothing but pansies that have 'manners'. My army shalt train thee to become a Viking suited for war and raids."

Jock:"As you wish, sire."

Sigurd:"Commander Signy, assign Jock to his barrack."

Commander Signy:"Yes, sire!"

As Jock and Commander Signy walked out of the palace, Sigurd turned to Clovis and barked:"JESTER! Start entertaining me!"

Clovis jumped and began juggling.

Fisch looked at his watch. It was getting dark, and he was frantically looking around for any signs of the rest of the group's return.

Corai:"Uh...Fisch? Where are they?"

Fisch:"I don't know. I really don't know. I have a bad feeling something happened to them."

Corai:"Should we go look for them?"

Fisch:"No, we can't...it is getting dark and it would be too dangerous to go at night. We will have to wait until tomorrow."

Corai:"But...what if..."

Fisch:"Then there's nothing we can do."

As the night crawled across the skies, Gottfried was the only one awake in the large stone dungeon cell. He hopelessly stared at the full moon as he could hear the others snoring peacefully on the stone floor and the old wooden bunks. Gottfried sat behind the iron bars and watched the moon.

Gottfried's movement woke Fuut Ga, who joined him.

Gottfried whispered:"We need to get out of here."

Fuut Ga whispered:"I know."

Gottfried:"Well, we should have a plan. We should definitely take advantage of your Ninja suit to become invisible."

Fuut Ga:"Perhaps, but we can not simply escape. We are way too outnumbered, and no one is around to help. We will wait until Jock comes to see is."

Gottfried:"IF Jock is coming to see us..."

Jock woke up in the barracks to hear the sound of the blow of an old fashioned ram horn. Jock and the other Viking soldiers in the barracks routinely dressed up in their proper attire and went outside to salute their commander.

Commander:"Today is your lucky day, men! Instead of usual drills and training, we will conduct a Raid!"

All the soldiers cheered "Hurrah!" except for Jock, who was not sure what it meant.

Jock raised his flipper.

Commander:"JOCK!"

Jock:"What is a raid, sir?"

The other Vikings stopped their celebration and stared at Jock.

Commander:"A Raid is simple. It is what makes a Viking what he is, a Viking! We simply go look for a nearby town and take what we want!"

Jock:"You mean like a siege?"

Commander:"Yes, of course! Except more brutal! We steal whatever we want and burn their buildings down, obviously! Those non Vikings will never know what hit them."

Jock:"Uh...this is not right. Why should we destroy a town of innocents and steal all their belongings?"

The Commander looked at him angrily and slapped Jock.

Jock:"I SAID IT'S NOT RIGHT! What are we, savages?"

Commander:"THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING FOR CENTURIES. WE MUST SHOW THE HIGH PENGUIN CONFEDERACY WHO IS BOSS."

Jock:"Uh, the High Penguin Confederacy? Honestly? That country fell a century ago! We're replaced with the United States of Antarctica!"

Commander:"Oh, whatever! We must prove that we Vikings are far more superior than the lower races! Especially those Khanz!"

Jock:"I will not join this raid. I only fight to defend others or for my country."

The Commander's face grew red and stared menacingly at Jock.

Commander:"YOU ARE ONE OF THOSE VIKING PANSIES FROM THE OUTSIDE! YOU ARE POISONED BY THE OUTSIDE SOCIETY."

Jock:"I am NOT poisoned, you guys are the ones that are poisoned!"

ComUmander:"You leave me no choice, Jock!"

The Commander nodded to two of his soldiers, whom immediately grabbed Jock and carried him away to the Generals' Headquarters.

Meanwhile, an old penguin hiding in a dark room on the top of Sigurd's palace had watched the whole ordeal. There were no torches or candles inside, and only his white beard could be seen from the small amounts of light that came into the solemn room. He sighed sadly and closed his eyes.

He opened his eyes again and watched Jock get taken into the Generals' Headquarters. The old Penguin softly said:"Oh no...not Jock..."

The light green colored penguin covered his face with his flipper and wept.

Gottfried clutched the iron bars of the jail window and did not look away until Jock was out of sight.

Fuut Ga:"What are they doing with Jock? He got arrested too?"

Akbaboy:"I don't think so. The jail is here, and it sounded like they are taking him somewhere else."

Gottfried:"They're taking him to be brainwashed, most likely."

Akbaboy:"Oh great! Now how are we going to get out?"

Fuut Ga:"We have other methods."

Jock was dragged into a dark room only lit by one torch. He was forced to sit on a brown wooden chair and was tied up by ropes.

Jock screamed:"WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO ME???"

Commander Signy walked in, and asked:"Do you really want to know?"

Another Viking approached the Commander and handed him a wooden club.

Jock:"Yes..."

Commander Signy:"We're going to make you one of us!"

Commander Signy slammed Jock's head with the club, who fell unconcious.

When he woke up, he found his face inside a cage. There was a trap door that separated a bunch of rabid puffles and his face. Jock screamed for his life.

Commander Signy:"Poor you. Once I open the trap door these creatures will easily eat your face off."

Jock:"Please, I'll do anything! I'll do whatever you want!"

Commander Signy:"You will be a true Viking! You will only serve and trust your fellow Vikings and King Sigurd! You WILL NOT question orders!"

Jock:"I will do as you say!"

Commander Signy:"I DONT SEE SINCERITY IN YOUR PLEA!"

Commander Signy slightly opened the trap door. The rabid puffles jumped towards Jock and growled. Jock screamed louder out of pure fear.

Jock:"AAAH! I'll do it, I'll do it!!! Don't do it to me, do it to Gottfried, or Clovis, just not me!!!"

Commander Signy smiled darkly and shut the trap door. Jock had fainted.

Chapter 3:Brutality
It was a cloudy day in the small town of Sanville, and a grey sports car passed by the nicely renovated Sports Bar, where two older penguins sat drinking Cream Soda on a bench. In recent years, the once sleepy town of content Conservatives was rapidly overturned into the modern, rich town of wealthy city folk who began to start their businesses in the growing town. Others began buying homes in the town as vacation homes, since Sanville was located in a beautiful valley right on the other side of Asgard. The two old Penguins looked towards the forest covered mountains facing Asgard, having nothing else to do.

Old Penguin 1:"At least they haven't changed the beauty of nature."

Old Penguin 2:"Nope. Although this town is not the same. I crave for the old days."

Old Penguin 1:"There is no turning back now. We're too old to do anything. Everyone else we knew moved or passed away...all we got now are the new city folk."

Old Penguin 2:"Them newcomers don't know even how to plow a field with a hoe. Once a farming town, now a business town."

Old Penguin 1:"I don't care for this anymore. This town will never be the same. It wouldn't matter if it got razed..."

Immediately, a group of masculine yells could be heard in the form of chants. Everyone in the growing town looked out onto the main street to see a large band of Asgard Vikings....with the changed Jock as their leader.

Jock screamed:"FOR ASGARD!!!"

Immediately, Jock and the other Vikings raised their weapons in their flippers and began breaking into citizens' homes, stealing whatever they could find- money, jewelry, mirrors, lamps, weapons, and other weaker penguins.

In one home, a penguin pulled out his snowball gun when Jock and another viking broke in.

Penguin:"FREEZE BARBARIANS! YOU ARE NO MATCH FOR MODERN TECHNOLOGY!"

Jock took out his own taser pistol.

Jock:"FOOL! THOU HAST UNDERMINED MY CAPABILITIES!"

Jock shot the penguin, who was immediately electrocuted and fell unconscious. While the other Viking went into the Penguin's bedroom for goods, Jock went into the kitchen and found the penguin's match lighter and immediately lit the walls. Jock and the other Viking walked out of the house casually as it went into flames. Minutes later, the Penguin regained consciousness and jumped out of the window, unharmed.

At the start, one house fire went to two, then three, and eventually the whole town. Luckily, no one was harmed, but some were kidnapped.

The Vikings cheered gloriously while carrying their cartloads of loot, and they disappeared into the mountains.

"CLOVIS! JOCK! GOTTFRIED! AKBABOY! ANYONE???"

"We've been calling for hours. I don't see the use. I don't know where we are, Fisch. Are....are we lost?"

Fisch looked around and sighed.

Fisch:"Yes, Corai. We're lost."

Corai:"We must have made a wrong turn..."

Fisch:"You think?"

Corai:"Oh no! What now?"

Fisch:"Hey wait..I see something!"

Corai:"What?"

Fisch:"A tower of smoke! A LARGE tower of smoke!"

Corai:"That can't be a campfire...nor a bonfire..."

Fisch:"Perhaps it's a forest fire. And if there is a forest fire, we'll find fire fighters, which means rescue!"

Corai:"Good thinking!"

The devastated townspeople looked on their town in grief. Nothing was left but ashes, charred wood, and blackened, lone chimneys. Everyone turned around in fear when they heard two strange penguins emerge from another part of the forest.

Corai:"Yay! It's people! And Yay, it's not a forest fire! But...not yay with what happened to this town."

The mayor turned bitter towards the strangers.

Mayor:"What do you want from us? Is Fish Penguin here going to rob our clothing now?"

Fisch grimaced and quipped:"No! Why would I? What happened here?"

Mayor:"Our town was raided by Vikings, believe it or not! They screamed in the name of Asgard and sacked everything. Even our Police Force was kidnapped."

Fisch and Corai looked at each other.

Fisch:"Asgard exists?"

Corai:"Maybe those ruins aren't in the city after all."

Fisch:"Guess not."

Mayor:"We took photos for proof."

The mayor took out a series of photos, some clear, some blurry, of the Vikings raiding the town."

Fisch's and Corai's eyes grew large when they saw a picture of Jock leading the Vikings.

Corai:"It's Jock!"

Fisch:"Oh no! He's gone mad! They must have brainwashed him!"

Corai:"Where are the others? Did you guys see a Knight, Ninja, Jester, or a red or yellow puffle with them?"

Mayor:"No. Nothing."

Fisch:"They must be held captive. We should contact the Authorities at once."

Corai:"Perhaps the Castillans since Jock, Clovis, Piper, and Leonardo are Castillan?"

Fisch:"Sure thing."

Sigurd's eyes glittered as the shiny glow of gold, silver, and other shiny metals lit up the giant throne room.

Sigurd:"Excellent! I haven't seen such marvelous treasures in a long time."

Jock:"All modern as well, sir."

Sigurd:"Yes, that brainwashing...err, I mean that mind correcting has done wonders to thee, Jock. Thou art surely a true Viking now."

Jock bowed with respect.

Jock:"Yes, O great Sigurd, King of all Vikings."

Sigurd:"Because of the great success, I shall have thee and thy men conduct another glorious raid tomorrow."

Jock:"Thank thee, O King."

The clouded Jock walked around the city, excited about the plans for another raid. As he walked past the prison, he heard a voice call out to him.

"Jock! Jock! Is that you?"

Jock turned around.

Jock:"Who is there?"

Fuut Ga popped out and showed his face behind the iron bars.

Fuut Ga:"It's me, your brother."

Jock looked at him strangely, as if he was a foreigner.

Jock:"Fuut Ga, why doth thou dress like the imbecile Ninjas? No wonder thou art in Prison! I do not talk to the shunned!"

Fuut Ga:"Jock, what has happened to you? Snap out of it! We need to escape and return home."

Jock:"Fuut Ga, this is my home. It always has been."

Gottfried shoved Fuut Ga away from the bars.

Gottfried:"Listen Jock, get us out of here or face dire consequences! We are your friends! Sigurd is a corrupt ruler of no moral values!"

Jock:"Shut up, Knight! How dare thee insult His Royal Highness, the King of Vikings! I shall tell the Great Sigurd everything both of thee hath said so the King shall make you suffer more in Prison!"

Gottfried:"How dare YOU!"

Gottfried spat in Jock's face. Jock became angry and drew his sword and began to slash at the iron bars of the window. Gottfried and Fuut Ga backed up into the cell with the rest of the Hochstadt Gang.

As the sun began to rise over the mountains, Fuut Ga continued to meditate undisturbed, which he had did the whole night. The beams of light cracked through the window, waking everyone up.

Gottfried:"Fuut Ga? Have you been meditating all night?"

Fuut Ga:"Yes."

Akbaboy:"I guess the boredom got to him and he has nothing else to do."

Fuut Ga:"No. Not long after Jock left, I sensed something. Something I haven't felt in a long time."

Piper:"What would that be?"

Fuut Ga:"I sense there is a powerful Ninja among us in this city. I am guessing he is also a captive."

Leonardo:"You can actually sense powerful Ninjas?"

Fuut Ga:"No...well, yes....I have mastered the art of Chi, and I can tell there is a very strong source of Chi nearby the palace."

Piper:"I'm sure it's Sigurd. He seems powerful."

Fuut Ga:"No. I know that Sigurd doesn't harness the energy of chi because he is not a Ninja. It came from elsewhere."

Akbaboy:"So what are you getting at?"

Fuut Ga:"I believe it's time to break out, find this powerful penguin, and escape this city."

Gottfried:"We can't leave without Jock, no matter what he has become."

Fuut Ga:"True. We will kidnap him maybe and bring him home. We could take him trough therapy or something..."

Akbaboy:"How are we escaping?"

Fuut Ga:"Well, Gottfried and I will use the Sensei State. Remember?"

Akbaboy:"You mean that freak power that makes your eyes glow white?"

Fuut Ga:"Exactly."

Piper:"You guys could have done that a long time ago! We could have been free!"

Fuut Ga:"Yes, but it would not have been the right time, Piper. You must learn patience."

Piper sighed. Gottfried sat next to Fuut Ga.

Gottfried:"Let's do it now, before Jock leaves on another raid!"

Fuut Ga:"Well said!"

Gottfried and Fuut Ga closed their eyes and began to meditate. In a matter of seconds, their eyes began to glow, and a gust of wind blew through the prison cell.

Leonardo:"We better stay back!"

Piper and Leonardo dug themselves in Akbaboy's hat, who was sheltering himself in the corner of the prison cell. The ground began to shake. The jail guard and another Viking soldier rushed to the jail to find Fuut Ga and and Gottfried floating in the air with the help of small tornadoes of wind. Then suddenly, Gottfried and Fuut Ga blasted the awe struck Jail Guard and the Viking with large fireballs. Together, Fuut Ga and Gottfried easily broke open the jail door, and the two puffles and Akbaboy ran outside for the first time in days. Akbaboy grabbed his confiscated pistol and gave the two puffles their weapons back as well.

The Hochstadt Gang was then confronted by a group of Vikings that had heard the commotion. As some of them began to fly arrows at the two flying figures, Gottfried began to bend a large surge of water from the lake, and a large flood swept the Viking soldiers off their feet. Fuut Ga immediately turned the water into ice, completely subduing the Vikings from moving anymore.

Several other Vikings began to ran away for their lives, and the Sensei State began to wear off. Gottfried and Fuut Ga landed on the ground, back to their normal selves.

However, Jock had arrived at the scene with his raid group.

Chapter 4:The Showdown
Jock drew his sword in disgust.

Jock:"Thou art pitiful fools! Now I challenge thee, O Knight, to a duel!"

Gottfried:"I do not want to fight you, Jock."

Jock:"Ah, so thou admit that I am the superior! Thou art not worthy to fight me!"

Gottfried:"I suppose not, O crazy Viking."

Jock:"Coward covered in metal, have at thee!"

Jock lunged his sword at Gottfried, who blocked it with his sword. The Vikings began to chant for Jock, while the Hochstadt Gang looked on with fear for both combatants.

The two swords clashed rapidly and quickly, giving neither opponent a moment to rest. Neither penguin seemed to have the upper hand.

Jock:"You fight like a girl!"

Gottfried:"I fight like a knight, excuse me, barbarian!"

Jock:"Knights fight like girls!"

Gottfried:"Knights do NOT fight like girls, Vikings fight sloppier than..."

A loud booming voice silenced the crowd and immediately stopped the fighting.

"ENOUGH!"

Everyone stopped and looked at the penguin covered in a cloak. He was wearing a strange green colored version of Sensei's hat. The penguin threw his green cloak off to reveal his identity. It was an elderly penguin who was dressed in a familiar robe. The potion that had tricked Fuut Ga decades ago suddenly wore off.

Fuut Ga:"Hung! YOU'RE ALIVE???"

Gottfried kneeled in respect to the great Sensei, while Fuut Ga bowed. The brainwashed Jock had a conflict in his head, as the sight of Hung brought him warm images from his childhood.

Hung walked over to Jock.

Hung:"Jock, please kneel."

Jock did as he was told. Hung placed his flipper on Jock's forehead. Immediately, Jock's eyes flashed and he collapsed on the floor.

Hung:"Jock? Are you all right?"

Jock rubbed his head.

Jock:"Ow....Oh no...WHAT HAVE I DONE??? I was brainwashed!"

Hung pulled Jock from the ground.

Hung:"You were, and I have restored you."

Jock:"Thank you, great-grandfather!"

Jock hugged his great-grandfather, and so did Fuut Ga. With a family member rediscovered, a new confidence arose in Jock, Fuut Ga, and even Gottfried, who visited Hung once with his father decades ago.

Hung:"I apologize for faking my death to the public and Pen Chi. I really thought it was time for him to become Sensei. I was hiding in the Club Penguin mountains on a trek with Sensei when I heard the news of Pen Chi's disgraceful scandal. I ran away here, hoping to hide my shame. However, I regret it, and I am determined to bring you all back home."

Fuut Ga:"I agree. So you were the 'source of chi'."

Hung:"Right you are. I have taught you well, and so has Toshi Kojima."

The Vikings who had cheered for Jock began to get angry. They prepared their own weapons, intending to kill the traitor Jock, the Hochstadt Gang, and Sensei Hung.

However, they did not attack. They turned their heads towards the palace and made a pathway so Sigurd could arrive. Sigurd was furious, his eyes flaming and his beard frizzed.

Sigurd:"Thou hast betrayed me, Sensei Hung! Now I shall thee all!"

Jock stood in front of his Great-Grandfather.

Jock:"Stay away from him, or I will beat the life out of your helmet, you corrupt minded King! You have brainwashed me to do your bidding, but never again!"

Sigurd:"I know. That is why I have no choice but to slay thee with my sword."

Jock:"In that case, I challenge you to a duel."

Sigurd smiled nastily and began running towards the palace. Jock, Fuut Ga, and Gottfried ran after him, while Sensei Hung decided to stay with Akbaboy and the two puffles.

Jock was the first to run into the palace. Gottfried and Fuut Ga decided to stay by the doors.

Sigurd stood in front of the throne with his back towards Jock.

Sigurd:"'Tis too bad thou shall die today! I shall put thee in my collection of skeletons."

Jock screamed:"NO!" Jock charged violently towards Sigurd, and the two were immediately locked into a deadly sword fight.

Jock was going as hard and fast as he could, and Sigurd had difficulty keeping up, nevertheless not giving up. A group of Viking Warriors lined up on the long two overhangs that overlooked the throne room on both sides. They placed their flippers on the quivers that they carried on their backs, waiting to place them on their bows.

While fighting, Sigurd kept moving back towards his throne. Then, unexpectedly, Sigurd jumped up at Jock and kicked him in the face, causing him to stumble back. Sigurd quickly ran to his throne and picked up his ancient scepter, a a gnawed up tree branch with a large crystal on top.

Jock grabbed a wooden shield quick enough to block the blast of strong purple light that came from Sigurd's corrupted staff. The blast dispersed once it struck Jock's shield. Luckily, it did not break.

Jock immediately tossed the shield at Sigurd. Sigurd ducked, but Jock charged at him and sliced the magic staff, making it useless. Sigurd stumbled back on the floor as Jock pointed his sword at his face.

Sigurd half sarcastically declared:"I surrender! Oh you have won the battle, noble Viking!"

Jock:"A corrupt penguin like you does not deserve to live, especially after what you have done."

Sigurd:"We'll see about that, Jock!"

Jock:"Don't even try anything, Sigurd, or else I'll...."

Sigurd screamed as loud as he could:  "FUS RO DAH!!!"

Immediately, Jock was blasted across the hallway, slamming through the palace doors, and into a citizen's house. The house crumbled on impact, but nothing fell on Jock.

Gottfried and Fuut Ga were about to run to Jock's aid, but they were beaten to him by Sensei Hung, who urged them to fight Sigurd in place of Jock. Sensei Hung pulled Jock out of the rubble and pulled out several sealed vials from his pockets.

Gottfried walked down alone with his sword and shield towards Sigurd, who stood in front of his throne, prepared to defeat another warrior.

Sigurd:"What makes thee worthy enough to fight me?"

Gottfried:"I am here to represent Justice, Peace, and Knights everywhere!"

Sigurd:"Art thou so sure of yourself?"

Gottfried:"If my name is Sir Gottfried Hochstadt of Alemania, then I am sure of myself."

Sigurd:"Well it appears thy Ninja friend hast left you to die an ugly fate!"

Gottfried:"Apparently so."

Sigurd:"Have at thee, stupid knight!"

Sigurd charged at Gottfried, who stopped him with his shield and swung at him with his sword. This time, Sigurd seemed to improve at his sword skills tremendously, for Gottfried was slightly better than Jock at swordsmanship and found Sigurd a difficult opponent.

Then, as the two combatants reached the center of the throne room, Sigurd withdrew from the fight and stepped back to his throne, raising both his flippers. Gottfried began to take a few slow steps of caution towards him. Suddenly, the archers strung their arrows onto their bows and began shooting at Gottfried. The knight immediately covered himself with his shield, doing his best to catch every arrow that came by.

Seconds later, one of the archers was mysteriously thrown over the overhang by something invisible. A second archer was hit in the face and also thrown over; it was Fuut Ga!

As the attention of the archers dispersed, Gottfried focused back onto the surprised Sigurd.

During the whole fight, Clovis hid behind Sigurd's throne, wishing not to see any bad scenes. However, his courage had gained when he saw that all the archers were dead and Gottfried had the upper flipper over the duel against Sigurd. At the right moment, Gottfried slammed Sigurd's sword so that it flew across the room and fell on the floor. Gottfried kicked Sigurd in the stomach, which made him double over and kneel to the knight.

Gottfried:"It's over, Sigurd!"

Sigurd trembled in fear and pleaded:"Please do not slay me, dear knight! I shall do no more harm to thee and thy friends. Please forgive me, and I shall follow a new light!"

Gottfried lowered his sword and permitted Sigurd to get up with a head nod. He gave the Viking King too much trust. Immediately, the sword flew back to Sigurd's flippers and struck Gottfried's helmet with the butt of the Viking sword. Gottfried stumbled back, rattled from the blow.

Clovis could take it no more. Clovis ran up to Sigurd and punched him at the jaw, knocking him back. Clovis had no weapons, but he hoped it would help kill time so Gottfried could come back and fight, but he did not move from where he fell. Infuriated that even the Jester betrayed him, Sigurd began to swing at Clovis, who jumped back as the sword nearly missed his throat.

Sigurd:"YOU FOOL! GET BACK HERE, WEAKLING! TAKE YOUR DEATH LIKE A MAN!"

Sigurd swung again, and Clovis jumped back again. This time, Clovis kicked the sword out of Sigurd's flipper before he could swing the sword back. Startled at the bold but crucial action Clovis had done, Sigurd had no more weapons to use except his own flippers.

Clovis blocked and dodged the flailing punches that came at him with remarkable skill, tiring Sigurd and making him more angry and confused.

Then, Clovis parried one of Sigurd's punches and kicked him in his lower abdomen. Sigurd yelped and smacked Clovis hard in the face. Clovis went with the hit and retorted by poking Sigurd in the eyes.

Sigurd:"AAAAAH!!!!"

With the enemy open, Clovis roundhouse kicked Sigurd in the kidney and sent another punch to his lower beak. Sigurd fell down onto the floor, in great pain. Gottfried groggily got up from the ground, and Fuut Ga arrived, pleased with Clovis's improvement at flipper to flipper combat.

Fuut Ga:"You're lucky you didn't get too beaten up this fight."

Gottfried:"I watched the whole thing! I was amazed."

Fuut Ga:"Clovis, you have taught us a very valuable lesson when it comes to fighting."

Gottfried:"Indeed."

Suddenly, the palace doors were slammed open. Two armed Castillan Marines and Fisch had arrived.

Fisch:"There you guys are! Get over here, quick! We were able to get a chopper!"

The Hochstadt Gang ran out of the palace to see a giant military helicopter flying in midair, with Akbaboy and the two puffles trying to climb up. Several of the Castillan marines had begun shooting at the Viking warriors, who had never seen a gun in their lives.

Sensei Hung met them, for he did not want to leave without the rest of the group.

Sensei Hung:"Let's get on, quick! The hostility is rising!"

The Hochstadt Gang and the two Castillan Marines climed up the ladder. Sensei Hung was the last to climb, but once everyone was inside the helicopter, including the other Castillan marines, the aircraft took off, heading for the nearest airport.

Chapter 5:Charges
The helicopter arrived in Dan Beronews Regional Airport in due time an hour later after the departure. As they arrived, the Hochstadt Gang noticed the very large group of penguins and puffles that were waiting for them near the helicopter platform.

Corai:"Wow, that's a lot of paparazzi!"

Fisch:"That's not paparazzi."

Jock looked closer. He recognized those faces.

Jock:"They're townsfolk."

As the helicopter landed, police cars ran to the scene with their sirens blaring.

Jock sighed.

The Helicopter doors opened, and the Hochstadt Gang exited. The citizens of the now ruined Sanville booed and hissed at Jock when he walked out of the helicopter. The police had arrived and grabbed Jock, handcuffing him. Jock did not resist or look back when he was taken to the police cars.

Clovis:"But wait, Sigurd brainwashed Jock to do those evil things! Jock didn't have a clear mindset!"

Fisch:"He will still have to face the court. It was still his body that did it, sadly."

Piper:"What now?"

Fisch:"Well, I guess we will have to wait for the court trial. I'll handle this all, and I'll need a witness. The rest of you guys can leave and enjoy yourselves. You've been through a lot."

Akbaboy:"I'll be a witness."

Fisch:"Fair enough."

Gottfried, Clovis, Piper, and Leonardo sat at a saloon in the small town of O-Berry Grove, having a peaceful lunch. The saloon was made of old wood but was decorated with antique sepia photographs from past times. The bartender was a friendly man who wore a light blue and yellow plaid shirt with overalls. The city did not offer Cream Soda, but they did offer imported Sparkling Mineral Water from the Ninja Archipelago, which was always a pleasure to the Hochstadt Gang.

Bartender:"Y'all aren't from these parts, I reckon."

Clovis:"We aren't. We're tourists, but we're familiar with Uno Valley. It's a nice place."

Bartender:"True, we are secluded from the hustle bustle from the city life. I remember those days as a trucker."

Gottfried:"Say, can we turn on the TV? We want to watch this court trial that one of our friends are involved with."

Bartender:"Sure thing. I haven't seen a good court trial in a while."

The Bartender turned on the old Television and tuned into the station that was airing the trial.

It was a sunny day in South Pole City. The courtroom was filled to the brim, and television cameramen scrambled to find a place to film the whole trial. The Judge sat patiently for everyone to get settled, and he eyed Jock in the Defendant's Bench and the Sanville Mayor on the Plaintiff's Bench.

Everyone else on the pews were the citizens of the razed town, except for Fisch, Akbaboy, and a disguised Sensei Hung, who were sitting in the back. The Plaintiff and the Defendant quickly performed the swear-in ceremony.

Jock stood nervously with Dan Beronews, a penguin who had helped Fisch in a court case involving his immigration.

The Judge slammed the mallet, calling for order.

Judge:"Order, Order in the court. We shall immediately start the case, Citizens of Sanville vs. Jock Hochstadt. May I call the plaintiff's lawyer to come up and introduce the accusation to the Jury?"

The plaintiff's lawyer, who was a short, stocky penguin with short black hair, appeared to the court in a calm manner. His voice was monotonous and did not seem to give any emotion when speaking.

Plaintiff Lawyer:"It all started approximately four days ago. The citizens of Sanville were going about their normal lives, until the unthinkable occurred. A large band of rugged Vikings appeared walking down the street in one giant mass. They were none other lead by the extremely angry looking Jock Hochstadt. All Vikings were armed with swords or axes, and Mr. Hochstadt had a tazor gun on him when he conducted the raid. The Vikings immediately sacked our beloved city, kidnapping our police force and some loved ones. The Vikings also stole precious valuables such as jewelry, gold, money, and other miscellaneous items. Finally, the Vikings committed high acts of Arson, burning every single house and building of the town to the ground. According to witness account, it was Jock Hochstadt who started this devastating fire. In the end, no one was killed, although several were beaten up and one was tazed. The total amount of damage was 10 Million Pebbles. The Vikings and Mr. Hochstadt allianced themselves with the mysterious city of Asgard, a place we all believed to be extinct."

Judge:"Thank you. May the defendant's lawyer come up to orate to the crowd?"

Dan Beronews:"Thank you, your honor. Ladies and Gentleman, I have known Jock Hochstadt for many years. This Viking has clean reputation in the civilian world, and he only uses his weaponry for warfare. Nevertheless, this is a rare case. Jock Hochstadt, along with several of his other friends, Gottfried Hochstadt, Clovis Hochstadt, Fuut Ga Hochstadt, Akbaboy Finopen, Piper J. Cub, and Leonardo di Tremezzo were kidnapped by the same brutal Vikings that sacked the city, and they brainwashed Mr. Hochstadt to become one of them. According to these documented photos taken by the Castillan Marines that helped rescue the Hochstadt Gang, Asgard is still in existence, and they are responsible for holding the Hochstadt Gang in captivity, promising them never to leave. In the beginning, Mr. Hochstadt was strongly against the idea of sacking any town, but he was taken into a torture room where he was forced against his will and corrupted to become this monster the citizens of Sanville saw on that fateful day."

Judge:"Thank you, Mr. Beronews. May I call the Defendant to the stand, Mr. Hochstadt?"

Jock walked to the podium, sweating.

Plaintiff Lawyer:"Mr. Hochstadt....were you the leader of the Viking raid of Sanville?"

Jock:"Yes. Yes I was."

Plaintiff Lawyer:"Did you deliberately try to burn the town down?"

Jock:"I was under the puppet control of King Sigurd. He is a penguin of black magic."

Plaintiff Lawyer:"Why did you end up in Asgard to begin with, Jock?"

Jock:"I was captured...."

Plaintiff Lawyer:"Yes, but why were you in that vicinity to begin with? There is a reason why you were caught."

Jock:"I was with the Hochstadt Gang on an excavation to discover Asgard. We had no idea it was still completely intact."

Plaintiff Lawyer:"Well, how did you get back to your senses?"

Jock paused for a moment.

Plaintiff Lawyer:"Well? How do we not know that you are still under this brainwash, or worse, this brainwash was a lie?"

Jock:"I was cured by a very special penguin."

Plaintiff Lawyer:"May I ask who it is?"

Jock:"Sensei Hung."

The crowd began to chatter and look at each other in disbelief. The Judge called for order. Jock got off the stands.

Mayor:"May I call a witness from the Plaintiff side?"

The lawyer looked back and pointed at one of the penguins who waved their flippers in the air. It was the penguin that Jock had tazed.

Plaintiff Lawyer:"So, what do you remember of the event?"

Penguin:"I remember it vividly. I was in my house, and I was extremely worried about the raid. I had my pistol with me just in case if anyone wanted to come in. Then, Mr. Hochstadt and another Viking came in. I threatened him with my gun and told him to leave, but then he tazed me, stole my possessions and set my house on fire. I luckily recovered by then and jumped out the window for my life. I lost EVERYTHING in my house! NOTHING survived."

Plaintiff Lawyer:"Would you say Mr. Hochstadt intended to kill you and burn your house down?"

Penguin:"Well, when I saw him, he had the eyes of a raged madman. Somewhere in me felt as if he wasn't quite right in the head. Hearing that he was brainwashed gives me some sort of explanation for it, but I still think he is still responsible for this! After all, his DNA is still on my kitchen lighter to prove it."

The penguin went from the podium and sat down.

Judge:"May I call a witness from the Defendant to come to the stand?"

Akbaboy walked up to the podium, and Dan Beronews stood before the crowd with confidence.

Dan Beronews:"Mr. Finopen, please tell us, what do you remember of the situation?"

Akbaboy:"When we were captured, everyone was imprisoned except for Jock, because he was a Viking. They assigned him to be a soldier, and we were sent to a cold stone cell. We sincerely hoped that Jock would come and liberate us from the prison, but he did not. His barrack was across from us, and usually we would look out to see what he was up to. On the day of the raid, Jock refused to go because he obviously believed it was cruel. Hence, they seized them and took them to brainwash them. When he was done, he appeared a lot different- he seemed emotionless and more uniform, unlike his relaxed self. When he returned, he did bring a lot of riches, which we all knew were from the raid. We knew this is not what Jock would really do."

Dan Beronews:"Tell me, how did Jock get rescued?"

Akbaboy:"The unthinkable happened. Our group managed to escape, but Jock, who was still brainwashed, appeared to us, threatening to destroy us for our 'treason'. Gottfried battled him, until a strange figure broke up the fight. This strange figure was none other than the Sensei Hung, who happened to be in hiding. Apparently, he said he had faked his death to pave his path for his student, Pen Chi, whom he thought to be ready for teaching. Anyways, Sensei Hung healed Jock in the end, and this prompted Jock to fight Sigurd."

Akbaboy walked down from the podium. The Judge paused to look at both the sweating Defendant and the still angry Plaintiff. A silence filled the room.

The Judge slammed his mallet on the desk.

Judge:"All right. The jury may begin voting."

The Jury began writing their answers down, some whispering to each other. Jock became more nervous than ever as the minutes passed.

The Judge slammed his mallet on the desk again, asking: "Has the Jury made a verdict?"

A penguin in the corner of the jury stood up with a card that tallied up all the votes.

Juror:"Yes, your honor. The Jury of the Court has finds Mr. Jock Hochstadt GUILTY of all charges!"

The audience applauded with agreements, except for those who supported Jock.

The Judge smacked the mallet several times on his desk, silencing everyone.

Judge:"ORDER, ORDER IN THE COURT! The Court has found Mr. Jock Hochstadt guilty of all charges, but shall have an alternative punishment because of his brainwashing. I sentence Mr. Jock Hochstadt to community service; he must rebuild every single house he burnt in Sanville. And since we're nice, if Mr. Hochstadt completes his sentence, he will have his charges completely wiped off his record."

The audience, including Jock's supporters, clapped loudly.

A few days later, Clovis was driving Gottfried and the two puffles to the remains of Sanville to see Jock. To their surprise, they saw several other criminals also sentenced to help Jock rebuild. Several of the town citizens and the mayor stood watching Jock as the construction crew was rebuilding the Town Hall- which would be made of stone instead of wood.

The construction workers had their break, and Clovis handed Jock a bag.

Jock:"Thank you, Clovis. What's inside?"

Clovis:"A surprise meal."

Jock opened the white bag to find several doughnuts.

Jock:"Oh, this is great! I haven't had any of these for a long time! I hate the food we're being served, which is I guess some sort of payback by the town citizens."

Clovis:"Look at the bottom of the bag."

Jock pulled the doughnuts out to see a sparkling green gem.

Jock:"Woah! Where did you get this?"

Clovis:"It's an emerald. It was a gift from Sensei Hung."

Jock:"Tell him thank you....not just for the jem, but also restoring me as well."

Clovis:"Sure thing."

Jock:"Oh, also...."

Clovis:"Yeah?"

Jock:"Where is he?"

Clovis:"Sensei Hung has decided to go back into hiding. He doesn't want his cover blown, so he's going to start his own Ninja Monastery in the mountains of Eastshield, far from Asgard."

Jock:"At least we know he's alive. I suppose he's going to be doing some elite training with the elect."

Clovis:"I suppose."

Epilogue
It took several long months for Jock and the construction crew to finish the town of Sanville. Jock worked extra hard to speed up the work process, and everyone was affected by his enthusiasm. He had regained the respect and hearts of the citizens, who had completely forgiven him. Fisch Hochstadt closed his case on Asgard, taking several pictures, but he would never aspire to return again. Sigurd had all damage to the city rebuilt, and swore that he would get his revenge on the Hochstadt Gang, someday. Everyone else went home, safe and satisfied with the results of their discovery of Asgard. Most importantly, Fuut Ga continued to train Clovis more in martial arts, teaching him more advanced moves. Fuut Ga also received a new martial arts student- Gottfried.

THE END!