Chapter 287

Nobodies POV:

Night had fallen over the village and it was the night before the students would go up against the challenge prepared by Mistress Lu Rang, the sheep and during this time while the students rested in the house they'd been given, the masters were in the temple, on the gong that was floating on a pool of water at the back, sat down in a circle with their master at the head. They'd been spending this time together discussing the results of the challenges so far and what they thought of each of the challenger's performances so far. Now they'd reached Hiccup and it was Master Beng Chu who started things off by saying.

"I have to say Shen, your student is really proving himself out there with how determined he seems along with the wide variety of skills he's showing." Mistress Aangmu then said.

"It shows how powerful he is and that he has something to protect." Shen replied to this by saying.

"Indeed, he has a family and a tribe he wishes to defend to his dying breath and with the threats he faces, I'd be surprised if he survived without training so hard." It was then Gokun spoke.

"Shen my friend, I've seen some of his adventures and I'm surprised he's still alive even with all his training and skills." The other masters muttered in agreement making Shen chuckle as Xiao Chi said.

"It must be all the travelling he's done that allows him to adapt to the situation." He then smiled and looked down. "At least that's what my student Tong Li left home to travel the world and gain new knowledge to improve his kung fu and grow as a person." It was then the Buddha spoke for the first time.

"Good, I've always believed travel helps us grow and it has helped your student do so from what I've seen whenever I check up on him." Xiao Chi bowed to his master in gratitude before they returned to their conversation.

Morning

Hiccups POV:

The time has come for me and the other challengers to face the latest challenge prepared by Mistress Lu Rang, the sheep which brings us to now, with me and the other students standing on what could only be described as an obstacle course of doom. I took a moment to study Mistress Lu Rang and saw she had white hair that was tied up together at the back of her head, kind eyes and was wearing the same outfit as the other female masters except hers was in light blue with a sheep on the back. There was a stone bridge with darts flying, spears being pushed out the walls, blades swinging, pillars rising and sinking and a multiple other obstacle on it that we'd have to go through. It was then Mistress Lu Rang raised her arms and said.

"This is my challenge, you must get through these obstacles but remember, there will be times when passing them requires patience and times when you will have to defend against them." We all nodded. "Should you fall off the bridge or receive a serious wound though, you shall be taken out of the challenge and out of the tournament, but your wounds shall be healed." We all nodded. "Any questions?" We all shook our heads making her smile. "Then begin making your way across at the sound of the gong."

We all nodded, and she took off down the bridge with the obstacles stopping to let her through and once she was out of sight the gong rang and we took off. I decided to keep my speed slow and steady so I wouldn't immediately fall into any traps and the others had the same idea, so we began the challenge slow. This proved to be the right decision as a few seconds after we began, I quickly stepped back just in time to avoid a spear rising from the floor with multiple others before sinking back into it while I watched. A few seconds later they came up again and sunk down before the same number of seconds as before passed and they came up showing they were being timed meaning timing was everything. I waited until the spears were fully back in the floor and then rushed over them and made it to the other end just as they came up and took a breath before I quickly dropped to the ground. The reason for this is the second my body hit the ground curved bladed swung out of the walls towards me and missed me by half a foot and kept spinning rapidly for a few seconds before sinking back into the walls, allowing me to stand up and walk away.

Once I was out from under the blades, I continued down the bridge but stopped at a section that was made up of large wooden tiles and knew it was a trap. I tapped one tile with my sword and four seconds later it fell down into the abyss meaning I'd need to be quick before, so I took a breath and ran across with every tile falling as soon as my foot left it. When I was only five feet away from the end, I leapt forwards landing on the final tiles only for them to immediately fall beneath my feet but before I could hit fall into the abyss I quickly grabbed onto the ledge and pulled myself back up. I let out a sigh of relief and continued my way but a few steps later, I saw multiple arrows fired at me from the front and quickly held my sword in front of me while rapidly spinning it to form a makeshift shield that sliced up the arrows. I then made my way past the crossbows that launched the arrows and found myself standing in front of swinging blades that came down one after another and knew that I'd need to time this just right or I'd be out of the tournament. I took a breath and waited for the blade nearest to me to pass and then began running across, avoiding the blades but I could hear them coming down again behind me. Just as I made it passed the last one, I jumped away from it and smiled while looking back at the blades as I said.

"Mistress Lu Rang puts together a pretty good obstacle course."

I then turned to the last obstacle which looked like statues of the master's holding long sword blades out but knew there was more to this obstacle than meets the eye. This was proven right when I took one step in front of the statues and they all began spinning, swinging their blades as they did so making me have to dodge them. I made my way forward with a little difficulty needing to duck, jump, roll and jump between various blades that were swung at me before I made it to the other side and let out a sigh of relief when I did. I then walked to the end of the obstacle course where Mistress Lu Rang was waiting with Monkey and Rabbit before I smiled at her and said.

"Mistress Lu Rang, you make one heck of a challenge." She chuckled.

"You should see what I have in store for the competitor who receives the right to be trained to be a Zodiac master." We all gulped at this before I took my place besides the other students and waited for the others.

Nightfall

It's been a few hours since Mistress Lu Rang's test and since then Dog has been taken out of the challenge and given up his helmet to reveal a girl with shoulder length hair that was a bit messy, and a small scar over her right eye with her telling us her name is Jing. At Dinner she revealed that she came under the care of master Bo, when she was young and collecting herbs for her father who was a doctor and making medicine to reduce fevers. She sadly wondered too far into the woods where she had a run in with some wolves who didn't like her in their territory and chased her until she tripped but before they could sink their fangs into her, Master Bo appeared and defended her. Once the wolves were handled, he took her back to her father on his back since she had twisted her leg when she fell and offered to teach her a few moves to protect herself if it ever happened again. Shortly after he began teaching her, he discovered she had a talent for his style of Kung Fu and offered to take her on as a full student which she was honored to accept and that was that. Thinking about wolves though made me miss my own wolf pack that was led by Adal, but I knew that I'd see them again hopefully after I'd become a Zodiac Master and drifted off to sleep with them in my mind.

1 week later

Me and the other challengers were now standing in front of the entrance to a large forest with our arms firmly tied behind our backs with Master Choa, the rooster standing in front of us. He was a man with a facial hair running down his chin but shaved on the sides, a shaved head except down the middle that was tied down tightly to the top of his head. His clothing consisted of a long sleeved Gi that was bright red, lined with gold and had a rooster on the back, black pants and a fan in his hand. He gestured to the forest using the closed fan as he said.

"The reason your arms are bound is because in this challenge you must focus on only using your legs to defend yourself as Rooster style like rabbit style relies mostly on leg usage and it is because of that you are expect to make it to the other side using only your legs to avoid or block the attacks." We all nodded. "Now then any questions?" We all shook our heads. "Then begin at the sound of the gong."

He then took off into the woods jumping from branch to branch while we all waited for the sound of the gong and then it echoed through the forest, and we were off. Rabbit as expected ran a head of us, but we were all still able to see her, which is when the traps were triggered, and we got a small idea of what we'd be facing in this forest. Clubs appeared out of nowhere and began swinging around the trunks of the trees from all heights, but Rabbit was quicker and easily abled to dodge them before taking off faster with us following her. A few more clubs swung at me, but I dropped to my knees and leaned back, dodging the swinging clubs and sliding beneath them so I got a little distance before standing back up and continued to run.

I didn't get ten feet away before another five came at me one after the other from the same tree but at different heights so there was no way to dodge them. Knowing this I decided to use them instead and quickly stepped on the pole of the first one and then the second and continued to use them as stairs. When I reached the last one, I leapt up and did a flip forward before landing in a tuck and roll and then kept running through the forest just as darts shot out from above. Seeing them coming at me I looked around for anything to help stop them and my eyes landed on a hollow log on the ground before I dived into it. I heard the thunk of the darts hitting the wood as I slid through before coming out the other end with a smile as I looked back at the log and saw it now resembled a porcupine with all the darts in it. I then turned around and continued my way, dodging a few more traps before reaching the end where Master Choa was waiting for me alongside Rabbit. When I reached him, he gave me a nod of approval before snapping his fingers and the ropes that bound my hands behind my back disappeared making me sigh in relief as I rubbed my wrist and then waited for the others.

Nightfall

The challenge ended with Monkey being taken out of the tournament and revealing a young Chinese woman with long hair that was tied back in a ponytail with some falling over her forehead. At dinner she told us her name was Min and as for how she became a student of Master Gokun which was a story that made some of us laugh. When she was young, she was rather mischievous and would play pranks on travelers who passed through her village, but it was nothing serious, just a small stone launched at them before she hid, confusing them, an animal poo tossed in their path and a few other harmless things. That all changed one day when she was pranking from high up a tree but the branch, she was going to use to get down broke leaving her trapped in it. She tried to get the attention of some travelers for help but none of them noticed until Master Gokun passed by and took notice of her before helping her down and taking her home. Her parents had a bit of a laugh when they heard what happened since they told her that one day her pranks were going to get her into trouble and that day had come. Master Gokun then told them that she just needed the right guidance like he did back when he was young and he knew she had potential if she was able to climb so high, so easily and offered to take her as his student which her parents agreed to. Now I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling with the memory of her tale running around in my head and took a breath before falling to sleep.

1 week later

A week has passed since the challenge of Master Choa, the rooster and now it was time for the challenge of Master Bo, the Dog who was standing in front of a cave. He stood before us and I examined him and saw a man wearing baggy blue robes with a dog on the back, he had a brown and scruffy beard with long shoulder length hair tied in a small bun at the back. He gestured to the tunnel behind him and said.

"To become a zodiac master requires complete commitment to the goal so for my challenge you shall each go into the cave and be separated before facing illusions of what you shall have to leave behind while training to become a Zodiac master and if you can resist them the path out shall appear before you." I flashed back to my first trip to Australia where I was imprisoned within the dream world and couldn't leave without giving up my heart's desire. "It will be difficult, but you must remember that it shall strengthen your heart for what is to come should you become the winner of the tournament and gain the honor." We all nodded. "Any questions?" We all shook our heads. "Then enter at the sound of the gong."

We all nodded and watched him walk into the tunnel and a few seconds later the gong went, and we all entered the cave, quickly splitting up before we knew it. I took a breath and made my way deeper into the cave before the sound of metal hitting metal caught my attention and I began making my way towards the sound. I found my way into a cavern and stopped at what I saw since the cavern looked and smelled just like Gobber's forge with Gobber himself hammering a sword on the anvil. Seeing my old mentor happily slamming his hammer against the anvil made my heart clench a bit since I honestly did miss the days in the forge with him and knew when I got back, I should spend some time helping him like all times. I took a breath and clenched my fists before I turned around and walked away with an ache in my heart and kept walking until the sound of metal striking metal was no more.

As soon as the metal hitting metal faded, I heard the sound of wings and followed the sound and found myself standing on a cliff overlooking the ocean. My eyes however were drawn to the black blur that was speeding over the water and I felt my heart clench again since that blur was none other than my best friend and main dragon, Toothless who was having fun flying which I knew was something I would truly miss. I was tempted to call him over so we could fly together but resisted the urge and turned around, walking back into the cave with a tear running down my cheek. It wasn't long before I was greeted by the sound of an all too familiar laugh and soon found myself in the house, I grew up in with my parents sitting around the fire laughing and having a good time. I had to admit, I'd miss my parents, I'd even miss my mother's bad cooking and my father's groans about what a tough day he had and how he wants me to take over. I took a breath and gulped before turning around and walking away but I knew that this place wasn't done with me yet and I had a feeling these next ones were also going to be tough.

Half-an-hour later

It's been half an hour since I ran into the illusion of my parents and since then I've been running into illusions of places, I've been in my travels with the friends I've made and illusions of my animals and dragons. Now, I'd just gone through the illusion of my kids with Chara and Brant sitting on the grass of the garden playing with Xiu in Chara's lap and that had been one of the most difficult illusions to deal with. I walked down the cave with tears in my eyes knowing being away from the kids would be very hard but I was doing this to better protect them and so I could better train them. Now I was following the sound of water splashing mixed with moans of delight and a few giggles and when I found the source of the sound my jaw dropped, my eyes widened, and my face turned red. I was looking at my homes bath with all three of my wives soaking in it and Astrid was sitting on the edge with nothing but a towel over her lap leaving the rest of her body exposed. I knew exactly what this illusion was trying to do to me and I have to admit it was very difficult to resist but I turned around and walked away with my fists clenched in frustration knowing I'd have to give up the pleasure of my wives while training to be a zodiac master. It was then I walked up to what I believed to be the exit and was blinded by a bright light and found myself outside the mountain that the cave was built into with Master Choa standing there waiting for me with a smile as he said.

"Good work, you're the first challenger to make it out of there, but I can tell it wasn't easy for you." I looked at the master of dog style.

"Master Choa, you have no idea." It was then Tiger stumbled out of the tunnel and said.

"I never want to go through that again." I turned to Tiger.

"I know the feeling my friend." Master Choa then said.

"I know it's tough but the path to becoming a Zodiac Master is not a simple one." It was then Rabbit rushed out panting and then Master Choa sighed. "I'm afraid your friend Snake has given in to the illusions and shall not be continuing the challenge." He then clapped his hands and we were back in the room where we always waited before going to the next test and began making our way up.

Nightfall

I was laying in bed going over today's events, starting with today's ceremony where snake took off his helmet to reveal a young Chinese man with the front of his head shaved and the hair on the back being pulled back and braided tightly. At dinner we had a talk in which Snake revealed his name to be Fu and he came to be under Mistress Chi Metsu's care when she caught him freeing snakes from traps set by a local hunter from his village. The reason is the hunters of his village have been taught not to take more than what they need and when it comes to snakes, harvest a bit of their venom for antidotes and then set them free away from the village, but this guy killed them and hunted purely for sport. He was also a really big bully to the people who he thought of as weak which included Fu's father and what's worse he was cruel to the snakes, locking them in crates with no food or water and left them to starve to death. Mistress Chi Metsu found out about him through some snakes he rescued and saw how kind he was to the creatures and saw untapped potential in him so she offered to take him as a student and he accepted.

As for what he couldn't give up which got him taken out of the tournament was one of his village and the animals he tended to and he realized that they needed him more than he needed to become a Zodiac Master. I have to admit that I knew where he was coming from since I always wondered if I was doing the right thing when I went travelling and leaving my family behind, but I always knew it could help all of Berk including them in the future. I took a breath since he was the fourth last one of the remaining challengers meaning there were only three of us left including me which meant training was going to be harder than before so I went to sleep knowing I needed my rest for tomorrow.

1 week later

Another week had past and now we were all standing in front of a valley with Master Po, the pig standing in front of us as I examined him and saw he rivaled my father in weight and was wearing a navy blue changshan with a pig on the back. He also had a short black beard with his hair being tied up in a small bun that was raised up and he also had a smile on his face as he raised his arms and said.

"Congratulations to each of you for making it this far, but do not get overconfident as this challenge will not be easy." He then gestured to the Valley. "In this valley iron balls shall be launched at you from random places but they shall not be able to harm you if you catch or block them but should you be hit by one than you shall be taken out of the challenge." We all gulped at this. "Any questions?" Tiger nodded and Master Po gestured for Tiger to ask.

"Will we be allowed to use the balls we catch to block other balls or throw them at coming balls." He nodded.

"Yes, you will." I could tell Tiger was happy about this and I admit, so was I since it would make things easier. "No more questions?" We all nodded. "Good, I will be waiting for you on the other side and you may begin at the sound of the gong."

With that said he walked into the valley, leaving us behind to wait for the gong while doing a few stretches and only a few seconds later, the sound of the gong rang, and we took off. It didn't take long for the balls to begin launching since we weren't even ten feet into the valley before they begun coming at us from random places. I was quick to duck, jump, slide, catch and block everyone single one of them, knowing if I got hit by even one, not only would it hurt but I'd be out of the tournament. Fortunately, the run through the valley wasn't too long, but sadly the closer we got to the end, the more balls were shot at us so it was a lot harder to deal with. It was then the end of the valley came in sight and I made a hard run for it but when I was only fifteen feet away from it, a wall of iron balls was launched at me from the front. Remembering what master Po said about being able to block the balls, I turned to my side and raised my prosthetic arm and my leg to block the balls and felt them impact my body, but nothing more and knew I'd succeeded before continuing my run to the end of the valley soon reaching the end followed by Tiger. As soon as Tiger passed the end though there was a bright flash and we were back in the room where we went to be taken to where we would face the challenges and knew Rabbit hadn't made it meaning it was just me and Tiger now as we made our way up the stairs.

Nightfall

Night had fallen over the town and I was now laying down in bed and staring up at the ceiling while thinking about the time when Rabbit removed the helmet to reveal a young Chinese man with short black hair that was tied down to the top of his head. It was at dinner where we learnt Rabbit's name was Zǐ Ruì and his story of how he came to be under the care of mistress Aangmu was that as a boy he was always full of energy and could never walk for long before bursting out into a sprint. It was because of this he often got into trouble, running into people and things, annoying everyone in the village until Mistress Aangmu arrived in the village having heard about him from someone who travelled through the town the week before. She wanted to see how bad he really was and once she saw him, she knew he just needed a better way to release the pent-up energy in his legs and agreed to tach him a few moves but soon after, she realized that he had a talent for Rabbit style and took him as full on student. I took a breath knowing I should be sleeping right now since Master Shen promised that the week leading up to the next challenge was not going to be the least bit easy for me and it was with that in mind, I fell asleep.

1 week later

A week has passed since Master Po's challenge and to describe it in one word, I'd have to say tough since Master Shen has had me up at the crack of dawn, training me harder than ever before. I knew it was all for my own good since he told me this challenge would be harder than any of the others and my combat skills would have to be at their best if I was going to survive it. Now I was in the temple, standing by tiger with the other students behind us, before the Buddha and the masters who were standing in front of the temple and smiling at us. The buddha raised his arms as he said.

"Congratulations to the both of you for being the last challengers standing before us and it is time for you to face the final challenge." His face took on a serious look. "This challenge was created by both your master's and it shall not be an easy one and unlike the previous challenges, it will be possible for you to be injured but not be eliminated and it shall not stop until after one of you has crossed the line or falls unconscious so be careful." We nodded. "Now then for this challenge you are to climb to the top of a mountain and the first to enter the cave at the top wins and you shall climb using a catwalk that was built on the side of it but if you run too fast than the planks shall break, and you shall fall." I knew there was more to this challenge than he was claiming. "In addition to this there shall be another challenge you shall have to face but this will only be revealed once the challenge begins so be careful." We nodded, making him smile. "Now you shall be taken to the challenge."

We both bowed before making our way down the room beneath the temple where we always went to in order to be taken to the places where our challenges took place and once again, we were blinded by light before we found ourselves standing at the bottom of stone stairs leading up to a wooden catwalk with bamboo supports on the outer frame opposite to the mountain. The sound of a gong echoed through the area and we both immediately began running up the stairs towards the catwalk, but I was a little faster and reached the catwalk first. I tried running on it but my foot broke through one of the planks, so I began calmly walking instead and examined the stone soldiers carved into the wall. These soldiers were big, mean looking men with hair tied up in buns, moustaches and typical Gi's, as I walked though, I couldn't help but feel as if they were staring at me. It was then Tiger walked onto the catwalk behind me, so I turned to my opponent in this challenge and said.

"Be careful Tiger, there's something off here about these statues." Tiger walked towards me.

"Are you sure you're not just being paranoid?" I looked around but saw nothing other than the lake below.

"Maybe but remember what the buddha said, this challenge has another challenge for us to face so keep your guard up."

Tiger nodded and I walked towards the ramp that led up to the second part of the catwalk but as soon as I turned, I had to step back to avoid a large stone sword being held by what I recognized as one of the soldiers in the wall. I quickly grabbed its arm and threw it over the edge and into the lake below as I heard the sound of cracking from behind me followed by Tiger letting out a battle cry. I turned and found the soldiers by Tiger had come out of the wall and had attacked but were defeated by Tiger as I quickly pulled out my sword knowing I'd need it in the fight ahead. This was proven to be the right choice since another stone statue came at me from around the corner with its sword raised high, but I quickly rushed up to it and swung my sword up to meet with its sword. My blade stopped the stone sword, but it kept pushing pressure down onto me, so I pushed the sword to the side, making the statue lean down as I quickly pulled my sword back. It was then another statue came around the corner, so I quickly delivered a hard kick into the side of the one statue was still leaning down, kicking it into the new one making them stumble to the edge. I then rushed and slammed my shoulder into them, forcing them both over the edge and then turning back to check on Tiger who had caught up to me and said.

"I'm guessing these guys are the extra challenge the Buddha was talking about." I nodded.

"We need to keep our guard up; chances are they'll try to overwhelm us with numbers." Tiger nodded.

"You do realize that this is a race, right?" I nodded.

"I do but I also realize we both have a better chance of getting to the top uninjured if we work together."

"Good point." I then quickly thrust my blade forward surprising Tiger since it looked like the blade was aiming for Tiger's head, but it passed by next to it and instead went into the head of a soldier that was running up from behind.

"Don't let your guard down."

I then swiped my sword to the side and turned around while kneeling to dodge the stone sword of another soldier before slashing through its torso destroying both. As the one fell though, Tiger used it as support to vault over it and deliver a strong kick into the head of one that was coming from behind it slamming the feet into the statues and sending it over the side. Tiger turned to me and we both nodded coming to an unspoken agreement before we took off up the catwalk to continue the challenge of getting to the top. Sadly, more stone soldiers had come out of the wall above us and had begun making their way down the catwalk to deal with us head on as I growled in annoyance, and I could tell Tiger felt the same way.

We both charged head on at the coming crowd with our weapons drawn with me holding my sword in front of me and Tiger having the claws ready. I slammed into the first soldier, stabbing my sword into its stomach and continued to charge while using it as a makeshift charging shield to slam into the others and push them back while Tiger followed behind, taking out any stragglers. When we reached the edge of the catwalk, I threw the soldier off the side and into the lake below with a couple of other soldiers falling with it. One of the stragglers charged up behind me but before I could react to it, Tiger pounced onto its back and shoved it down to the ground, smashing its head after doing so. I gave Tiger a nod of thanks before we continued our way up only to be stopped by a group of fifteen soldiers charging at us with their swords ready with two coming at us from behind. I turned to Tiger and asked.

"Did your master teach you how to throw an opponent?" Tiger nodded.

"Yes, he did but why?" I gestured to the two coming at us from behind and then to the ones in front of us. "Now I see why."

We each grabbed the arm of one of the two who were coming at us from behind and threw them at the front of the ones who were ahead of us. The ones at the front fell back into the others with the planks beneath them giving in and falling apart, causing the soldiers to fall down through the lower paths with multiple other soldiers following them into the lake below. The problem was the path now had a large gap in it that also included the path to the next floor so we lost our way up, at least that's what I thought for a moment until I noticed the bamboo supports. I quickly grabbed onto one with Tiger doing the same on another and we began climbing, stopping only for a few seconds to smash a few soldiers and then continue climbing. Climbing the bamboo supports turned out to be the faster option since we were able to make it to the top in a few minutes while avoiding most of the soldiers.

As soon as we reached the top though we were greeted by a small army of those stone soldiers who were waiting for us and standing between us and the cave. I took a breath and looked at Tiger who looked at me and we each gave a nod to make an unspoken agreement to take these foes on together and we charged at the army with our weapons ready. We slammed into them and began smashing the soldiers' heads and other body parts left and right with no end in sight and despite our training they were able to get the drop on us from time to time and wounding us in various ways. After ten minutes of fighting, I had a bruised jaw, broken shoulder and bruised ribs while Tiger had a broken arm, a bruised back and a broken rib.

It was then I was using my sword to redirect s tone swords blow before decapitating it and was brought out of my focus by the sound of Tigers scream of pain. I turned to Tiger and saw one of the soldiers had attacked from behind, aiming low and smashing Tiger's leg, making an opening for the other statues to attack. I charged towards Tiger and jump kicked into the one that had smashed Tiger's leg, throwing it back and into the others, giving us some space. I quickly picked Tiger up and threw Tiger onto my back shocking Tiger in the process and then made a break for the cave, using the remains of one soldier to get some height and then running on the heads of the soldiers. I was quickly able to make it out of the crowd and make a short distance to the cave with the statues only a few feet behind us, getting ready to pounce on us I quickly took Tiger into my arms and said.

"Sorry about this the pain your about to feel."

Tiger looked at me confused until I tossed them right into the cave as the statues pounced on me and pinned me to the ground, the last thing I saw was Tigers body entering the cave before the statues pinned me to the ground and then there was a bright light. I opened my eyes once it dimmed and found myself completely healed, standing in front of the temple where the Buddha and the masters were waiting on top of the stairs and looking down at us. The Buddha raised his arms and announced.

"THE FINAL CHALLENGE HAS COME TO AN END!" Everyone cheered as the Buddha looked down at me. "I am curious about your actions so tell me Dragon, why did you give the victory of this challenge to Tiger knowing that it would cost you the honor of becoming a Zodiac Master?" I took a breath and turned to Tiger and then back to the Buddha. (AN: If you're wondering, yes I did get the idea for this challenge from Samurai Jack)

"I would rather lose an honor than run away while my friend is being harmed, even if that friend is my opponent in a challenge." He nodded and turned to Tiger.

"Tell me young Tiger, how do you feel about all this?" Tiger bowed to the Buddha.

"I feel honored to have fought alongside such an honorable warrior and believe the honor of becoming a Zodiac Master should be his." The Buddha nodded.

"I am in full agreement, and it shall be done as he is the one who passed the test." I raised an eyebrow as I asked.

"Forgive me master's but what do you mean?" He walked down the stairs as he answered.

"Each of the challenges was designed to test your skills but there was a hidden test within them in which your true character was shown to each of us." He reached the bottom of the stairs and walking towards me. "Throughout these challenges you have shown determination, skill, speed and strength but you have also shown kindness, a desire to help others, a burning wish to protect those you care about and above all you have shown unquestionable honor." He placed a hand on my shoulder. "And that is why you have been chosen to become the next Zodiac Master." My eyes widened as he turned to Tiger.

"Tiger, I am sorry but please remove your helmet and give it to me." Tiger nodded and said.

"I understand!"

Tiger then removed the helmet and my eyes widened as I was looking at the familiar face of Jade, Astrid's training partner from when she learned Tiger style after being possessed. She passed the Buddha the helmet before he made his way back up to the gong and placed the helmet within it before turning back to us as he said.

"Tomorrow, the official closing ceremony shall begin, and Dragon shall begin his journey to becoming a zodiac master but for now you may all return home and rest." We all nodded and left the temple.

Nightfall

I was laying in bed going over todays events which included me getting many congratulations from my fellow challengers and the villagers and Jade giving everyone her story at dinner but I already knew it. I did however find out that shortly after me and my family had left, her brother Tong Li, wanting to enhance his skills like I had left the village to travel the world to learn various new ways to fight. (AN: Chapter 193) I had to say I respecter Tong Li for his determination to better himself but then when they asked about me, the one who beat him, she claimed that she was taken aback at first that there was someone who could fight her brother to a standstill, and she respected me for that. She then joked that she also thought that for a foreigner I was very attractive and wouldn't mind going a few rounds against me in a sparring match. I blushed under my mask when Hua teased her and said it sounded like she'd rather go a few rounds with me in bed than in the ring and I had to quickly compose my body before anyone noticed. I sighed knowing that tomorrow my life was not going to be easy for a good long while since I'd be training to be a Zodiac Master and it would take years, maybe even decades to accomplish it but it was all for my family and my people. With this in mind I fell asleep.

Morning

I was standing in front of the gong with the buddha asking for my helmet which I was happy to give and heard various gasps from the others when it was shown I wasn't Chinese. The Buddha placed my helmet in the final place and once it turned from gold to jade, the Ying Yang symbol in the middle opened up to reveal a cylindrical container within it before the Buddha said.

"Tomorrow this container shall be opened, and your training will begin but for today, rest and enjoy telling your story to the other challengers and the villagers." I nodded and watched as he and the masters walked into the temple while I went to deal with the other challengers who were looking at me with great interest.

Nightfall

I was back in bed, and I had to say I could not have been happier as today had been filled with multiple questions from the others who were all curious to know who I was, where I came from and more. They especially wanted to know where I learned to fight and balance myself the way I did which is when I told them about my ninja training which impressed them all. Still though, it reminded me too much of the times where I'd visit the places I've been to, and the people would swarm me wanting to know about my latest adventures. It was annoying but I was grateful none of them held being a foreigner against me and it was nice to tell them about my past as friends since I don't think I'll be able to enjoy it during the training. Still though, I noticed how Jade didn't look me in the eye and would keep glancing at me and whenever I looked at her, she'd quickly look away shyly and I had to say it was actually pretty cute. Now though knowing tomorrow was going to be a big day for me I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

Morning

Morning came too early for me and now I'd just been given the container by the Buddha who then led me into the temple which brings us to now. I was making my way behind the Buddha who led me into the temple with the doors closing behind us and as I looked around I saw the entire room was pitch black except for the parts with lit candles that were all over the place and seemed to stick out like stalagmites before we came to the end which had a large pool of water and the gong was laying down while floating in it. The Buddha walked on the stone steppingstones across the water with me following him across until we were standing in the middle of the gong. The Buddha turned to me and said.

"Hiccup, you know of the scrolls my students have used to train you in which your mind is taken to another place." I nodded. "Within the container is another but it is different as it shall allow you to train under all my students and furthermore, while with the other scrolls your body memorized the movements but now it shall change with your training meaning your senses shall increase as will your strength." I nodded as he sat cross-legged with me doing the same. "Now open the container and take out the scroll that shall begin your training to be a Zodiac Master." I did so and pulled the scroll out before I unfurled it and then everything went black and then I found myself in the middle of a courtyard, on the gong but now it was with the masters surrounding me and I knew it was time to begin training.

1 week in real world

70 years in scroll world

It's been seventy years for me since I opened the scroll and it's also been seventy years since I stopped aging and since I last saw my hands and feet, the reason being is that when I first began my training the master's had me wear thirty-five-pound boots and gloves to help strengthen my body. The training itself was far beyond what I expected, and I already believed it would be very hard but it would have been easier to take on Akuhei and the General regular weapon and no prosthetic limb. It was all worth it though since my combat skills have reached levels I didn't even think were humanly possible for anyone and through all the difficulties, the only thing that has kept me going is the thought of my family, my people and my desire to protect them. If it weren't for that then I would have given up on all this a long time ago. Now though, I was standing before the master's, in the same courtyard and on the same gong where I found myself when I first began my training without the boots and gloves that I'd worn for so long, having them removed a week ago and gain an understanding of why I wore them for so long. The Buddha raised his arms with a smile and then clapped his hands before there was a bright flash and I found myself back in the temple where it all began with the Buddha smiling at me as he said.

"Congratulations Hiccup, you are now a Zodiac Master." I bowed in both gratitude and respect.

"Thank you, I would never have come this far without the wisdom and training you and the masters bestowed upon me during those long years of training." He bowed back.

"It was an honor to train such a worthy person as you Hiccup." We both stood back up. "Now then, time for the graduation gifts." He led me off the gong before he snapped his fingers and the gong shrunk down to the size of my palm with a thin gold chain around before the Buddha took it. "This is to show the world of your accomplishment." He placed it upon my neck before pulling out the sword that I used to face the challenges. "This is to remind you of the trials you faced to earn the honor." I took the sword and put the strap over my shoulder before the Buddhapulled out the boots and gloves I wore. "These are to remind you of the hardships you endured while training." He handed them to me with the gloves resting on top of the boots before bringing out a wrapped package that was palm sized. "And this is to remind you of the friends you made during your time here." He handed me the package. "Don't open it until you arrive home." I nodded. "Now your master is waiting outside for you in his dragon form so he may take you back to the door which brought you to this land and with him is the chest containing the belongings that you gave up when you first came here." I nodded.

"Thank you and it's been an honor!" With that saidI made my way out the door and found master Shen in his dragon form with the chest containing my stuff in front of him and made my way down towards him.

"Are you ready to go home my student?"

"It's been over seventy years since I saw my family, I'd say I'm ready to face them again but one question, how much time has passed since I last saw them in the outside worlds time?"

"Fifteen years!" My eyes widened.

"FIFTEEN YEARS?" He nodded.

"You were in the scroll a long time Hiccup."

"I know but I didn't think I'd be in it long enough to miss the birth of mine and Astrid's child or miss seeing my other kids grow up." I began pacing. "What am I going to do if the girls decided to leave me and find someone else to tend to them while I was gone and what of the kids finding another father figure to look up to?" He chuckled making me look at him.

"My student, you may have become a master of all twelve forms of kung fu that me and my fellow zodiac masters created but you still fall for the simplest of pranks." I looked up at him.

"So, it hasn't been fifteen years?" He shook his head.

"No, time flows faster here so it's only been seven weeks for them." I sighed in relief.

"Please don't scare me like that master." He nodded.

"Now get your belongings and we shall head out." I nodded and did so but kept my stuff off, preferring to wear the gear I was given when I first came here, keeping my stuff in my spiderpack, including my new sword and the package the Buddha gave me and putting it on my back before we took off.

Half-an-hour later

I smiled as I walked through the portal door leading to my house and was greeted by the familiar room where my portal door was kept and smiled before making my way out of the room while looking at things through the eyes of my automatons. Turns out that here it was nighttime and as expected everyone was asleep in bed making me smile at how peaceful they were all looking until my eyes found my wives sleeping in bed and saw only Astrid and Hadasa with Blanca being nowhere in the room. I quickly looked around the house through the eyes of my other automatons and let out a sigh of relief when I found her in the kitchen preparing what looked to be some tea. I decided to go let her know I was back and made my way to go greet her and fortunately I still remembered the way after so long and found Blanca quietly singing the same toon we sang when we first met. I smiled and began silently whistled the toon making Blanca jump a little before turning to me as I smiled and said.

"Hello my sweet serpent."

"Hiccup!" She rushed over to me and hugged me as I chuckled and held her. "I missed you so much." I smiled.

"And I missed you, Blanca." She pulled away.

"You've been gone for six weeks but I'm guessing it was longer for you than it was for me and the rest of the family."

"My darling, you have no idea, for me it was over seventy years since I won the tournament and began training to be a Zodiac master." She gasped.

"You were training for seventy years." I nodded.

"But not a day went by without thinking of you and the others." She smiled as I gently caressed her face. "I missed you all so much, but I used my desire to protect you all to keep sane during the immensely painful and difficult training." She leaned into my touch. "So, what are you doing up so late?"

"I was having trouble falling asleep again without your heartbeat to listen to, so I came down to make some tea to help me fall asleep." I nodded.

"Well don't worry, I'm back now and I'll be back to being your pillow tonight." She smiled. "Don't suppose you could make enough tea for the both of us." She smiled.

"I'll be happy to, but it'll take a few more minutes to boil the water." I smiled.

"Good, it gives us more time to catch up." She smiled.

"A few things have happened since you left, and I would be happy to tell you about them all." I smiled.

"Who said anything about talking?" I then pulled her into a kiss and savored the taste of her lips that I'd missed so much as she moaned into the kiss.

1 hour later

I was in bed at long last with my wives after gently kissing the heads of my beloved children and now I was enjoying my usual position of being pinned down by Blanca with Astrid and Hadasa cuddling into my sides. I was looking forward to tomorrow when my wives were all awake as were the other members and we'll all be able to enjoy our time together which is something I haven't been able to do for seventy years. Still though, despite this I couldn't help but feel as if something was happening, but I shook my head knowing it was probably just me being ridiculous and worrying about nothing. With this in mind I fell into a peaceful sleep knowing that tomorrow I was going to be able to enjoy my family's company once more.

Somewhere in Greece

Nobodies POV:

A group of bandits sat in the ruins of an old, abandoned village surrounding a large bonfire with their leader, a bald man with a scar going across his right eye, no shirt, a leather pauldron on his right shoulder and a sword in his hand facing down, sitting on a wooden throne in front of the fire. It was then a group of hooded men on horseback road in with the one in the front, holding a large leather bag on his back before they came to stop in front of the leader. They dismounted before the one with the bag walked up to the leader and asked.

"Did you find it?"

"Yeah, we had to kill a few people, but we found it." He took his bag off and offered it to his leader who took it and removed the item to reveal a Greek urn that was decorated with humans that had wolf heads and he smiled before pouring its contents onto the ground to reveal ashes and pieces of bone as one of the men walked up and asked.

"Are you sure this is wise boss?" The leader looked at him. "I mean these are the remains of a man turned beast that slaughtered multiple people before being slain."

"That's exactly why we're doing this, if we're successful in bringing him back then he'll be so grateful that he'll join us and no guard or bounty hunter will be able to stand against us." He then lifted his sword with one hand and cut his free hand, pouring his blood onto the ashes and bone fragments and spoke. "Now with the blood of a hunter and the light of a full moon, I command you to rise Lycaon."

The wind picked up, lifting the ashes and bone pieces up slowly taking the form and merging to form a human skeleton followed by muscles and organs forming that were soon covered by skin to form a human male. Long black hair then burst out of his head and then a beard formed before the man fell to his knees who took deep breaths and looked around until his eyes landed on the leader and he asked.

"Are you the one who revived me through use of your blood and the light of tonight's full moon." He nodded.

"I am the one Lycaon and now that you have returned, I expect you to return the favor by joining our group and using your power to help us in our goals." The man now known asLycaon nodded but then gave a smile that looked almost feral.

"I'm afraid that won't be happening as you see it is your blood that awoke me and now I'm hungry for more than just blood." A mile away from the deserted village, multiple birds flew from the trees after being scared by the sound of the bandits screams from the village caused by them not knowing what monster they had unleashed upon the land.

AN: Hello everyone, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and if you're wondering what's in the package the Buddha gave Hiccup, don't worry as it'll be revealed in the next chapter along with the next beast Hiccup will face unleashed by these bandits and a few of the training methods he went through. Since it's close to Halloween I decided to do a bit of a horror themed chapter next and please review as I enjoy reading them but the last chapter only got 1 review and that hurt so remember to review and have a nice day.