Let's Begin
Black Dragon
Having recently completed your final ninja exam, you have been eagerly welcomed into the official ranks by your brethren. Well, not really 'brethren.' It's just you and your master, after all. But you have vision! And your master clearly does also. He chose you to be his pupil, didn't he? Yes, great things are in store for you, and you will accept the greatness that is your right, for you are a ninja.
You look around your studio apartment. It's nothing special, but it is your
secret lair, and nobody knows about it except you and your master. And the landlord. And his daughter. She keeps knocking every few days asking when you'll be paying for the next month. Your not sure why she bothers. You're a ninja. What's she going to do, kick you out? Of course, she doesn't
know that you're a ninja. Because, you know...you're a ninja. Anyway, the rent is only only three weeks past due. Three weeks is nothing. Why...during your training you sometimes had to endure
months worth of exercises. Iron palm training? That was 6 months. Iron stomach training? That was another 4 months. Iron scrotum? You don't remember exactly how long that one took, but you're pretty sure it was a long time.
But that is all past! Your training is done, and
you are a ninja! And a tough one at that.
Your master is in the apartment next door. You smile at his cleverness, a true ninja master hiding in plain sight, where none but you know of him. You're grateful for his tutelage, but you are also free, now. Training is over. If you wish, you may ask him for missions, or you may embark on adventures of your own.
What will you do?
Secret lair gained:
* Studio apartment in downtown TheTown
Ninja Terminator
You walk up to the security guard and say hello. "Hi, Jaguar," he casually responds and waves you through. Ha.
He suspects nothing. But of course he suspects nothing. You are a ninja! You casually stroll through the middle of the storage yard, take an abrupt left and come to a one particular door in a row of similar doors.
Then, in a super fast flurry of ninja skills you whip out your key and unlock the door, and step inside. At last,
home. Turning on the lights, you briefly consider how beautiful this small, 10x10x8 rented storage room would look with your ninja weapons and ninja gear decorating the walls. But that would mean not having them on you. Yes, it's probably better that you keep your ninja katana sword, your climbing claws, your ninja stars and of course your bright red ninja uniform in the secret compartment in your back pants pocket. No sense having to run back home every time you want to change.
It's against the terms of the rental agreement you signed to actually live here like you're doing, but
you are a ninja. Nobody will ever find you here. Not even your master knows where your lair is. You smile. Ahh, your beloved master who trained you in the art of ninja. Hmm. It's been a few weeks since you've spoken with him actually. If you wanted to, you could stop by and visit him. He runs women's self defense courses at the local college. He doesn't teach the secret art of ninja at these courses, of course. Just basic self defense stuff. Actually, you suspect he only teaches the courses because he's a bit of a pervert and likes demonstrating arm bar and bear hug escape techniques to the girls.
Especially the bear hug escape techniques.
You shake your head. Regardless, your master always remembers his students and if you stopped by to speak to him, surely he could offer you a mission worthy of your awesomeness. Or if you'd prefer to do something else, you could. Because you're a ninja.
Secret lair gained:
* Storage room in the commercial district of TheTown
Dragon's Doom
It's after hours at the local mall in TheTown. So Dragon's Doom goes in anyway. Because he's a ninja and nobody says no to ninjas, not even escalators. Leaping effortlessly from escalator step to escalator step, he quickly reaches the top, somersaults over the housewares aisle and lands on the stairwell on the other side that leads down into the abandoned loss prevention office.
He could have just taken the service entrance, but, you know...ninja.
Flipping on a video feed, Dragon's Doom sees that the mall,
his mall, is in fact empty. Except for a small family of squirrels nesting behind the customer service desk. Pleased, he considers the stroke of fortune that brought him here. It was shortly after he'd become a full fledged ninja that he was shopping for suitably ninja-tastic swim trunks when he happened to overhear the loss prevention manager angrily shouting about having been fired. You don't what happanbed to him, but you're pretty sure he didn't go on to become a ninja. Shouting is
so not sneaky, and not ninja-like at all. In any case, apparently as a cost reduction effort the mall owner decided to fire him and replace him with a lone security guard. A guard who's late for work right now, but nobody besides you knows that.
You took advantage of the this opportunity and moved right into the old security office. It's a bit small, just a single room, but nobody ever comes here except awesome ninjas like yourself, and having access to the security camera feeds for the entire mall is kind of nice. During the days you sometimes watch for hours, watching for shoplifters. Because you're a ninja, and you want to keep appraised of things.
But it's afterhours now, so the action you're likely to see is the lone security guard, if he ever decides to show up for work. And the squirrels. They're friendly. But perhaps you can find something more ninja-tastic to do? Maybe you could visit your master and request a mission? Or do you have something else in mind? Something worthy of a ninja.
Secret lair gained:
* Abandoned loss prevention office at the TheTown mall
The Harvest Ninja
It is early twilight in the pumpkin fields a short distance outside the city limits of TheTown. In the sky, the sun is beginning to set. In the ground, hundreds of pumpkins dot the field, specks of orange amidst greens and browns.
Below the ground, however...there is a ninja.
Ten feet below the ground, in fact. For here is where The Harvest Ninja dug a pit and hauled an industrial steel shipping crate, by his teeth, and buried it in the ground. It was actually just part of a training exercise, but after promotion from student ninja to full ninja, he's found it to be a useful secret lair.
Life below the fields is nice. Quiet. Calm. Good for meditating. Also, plenty of pumpkins to eat.
But, a ninja craves more than merely quiet meditation. And pumpkins. A ninja craves...what? What does The Harvest Ninja crave? Perhaps tonight he will request a mission from his master? Or perhaps something else? Only time will tell. Actually, no. Time won't tell, because ninjas are sneaky and if time goes around telling people ninja secrets, ninjas are going smack time around and put it in its place.
Secret lair gained:
* Half buried steel shipping crate in the pumpkin fields outside of town
Crouching Snake
It is early evening. Traffic on the freeway is light, but one big rig in particular has a secret: A ninja stands proudly on the roof.
Ok, maybe it's not a secret. In fact, other drivers are honking at the truck driver and pointing to his roof, but he's not understanding their wild gesticulations. And then, just like that the ninja
leaps from the truck, onto the roof of another car, slides off and does a dive roll onto the asphalt on the side of the road, and takes off running. Running...to home.
Home for Crouching Snake is the rooftop of the OPM bank building. Effortlessly he scurries up the walls of the three story office building and hides himself in the janitorial storage closet there. Not the most prestigious of lairs, but the view from up here can't be beat. Except when it rains. Then it gets wet.
Fortunately it's not raining right now, and the view is, as mentioned, spectacular, and the setting sun lights up the sky in the brilliant reds and yellows. Pollution isn't all bad.
But even a ninja is not content merely viewing beautiful sunsets. What will Crouching Snake doing tonight? Perhaps, inquire to his master for a mission? Or does he have other plans in mind? The sky's the limit. Well, for a mere mortal it's the limit. For a
ninja, the sky is just a pleasant companion between awesome jumps and wall climbs.
Secret lair gained:
* Roof of the OPM bank building