Hey all! PickleToast here! I present to you the second chapter of Rewind One More Time. A note of forshadowing, there will be a new character introduced in this chapter. I will put a biography of them at the end so no one is confused latter on, okay? What I will say about the character now is that they belong to DarkinUnderground. My friend there was a big help in writing this chapter, and if anyone wants to know more then go look up DarkinUnderground! Anyway, since this is my first Sly Cooper fiction, I am well aware that many characters may be a bit OOC. Sorry, I can't help it. So sit back, relax, and enjoy.
Disclaimer: I, PickleToast, hereby formally state that I own nothing in this story save for the plot, headcannons, and a few new characters. All new characters are co-owned by my good friend DarkinUnderground. Thank you.
Note: Again, as in the previous chapter, all grammar/writing style/character portrayment comments are more than welcomed.
Chapter Two: Rewind Viking
"Typical." Sly murmured as he made his way through the forest. "As soon as we land in an unusual place it's picture time. I thought I bought Bentley his own camera for this very reason." He sighed as he paused for a moment. Stretching, Sly looked around his current position. Still nothing but trees and brush everywhere. "But, I guess this is okay. As amazing as Bentley is in upgrading his wheelchair, I'm sure he wouldn't be able to make it through this. At least, not without a chainsaw."
Sly restarted his trek through the woods for a few more minutes, occasionally checking in with Bentley and Murray. He wanted to check in with his ancestors as well, but Bentley hadn't created a communication link between any of the ancestors. He guessed that it was because when they had the binnocucoms the ancestors didn't need to contact Sly directly or vice versa. The only way to know what they were doing was to ask Bentley since he was the only one who had a link with all of them. 'Too bad.' Sly thought, whacking a branch out of his face. He wasn't worried about them per se…. but one could never be too careful when it comes to Tennessee and Sir Galleth. Those two could be destructive if not watched. The fact that both were by themselves only led Sly to be even more wary of whatever the two were doing.
After getting hit again by a tree branch and spitting out a leaf, Sly finally managed to see some cliffs just outside the forest. Not caring at all about the plants anymore, Sly made a run for the opening. Never once in his life had Sly been so happy to see solid rock cliffs that drop directly over water. If he could swim he would have happily jumped in to rid himself of the debris he had undoubtedly collected on his journey. Taking out his binnocucom, Sly took a picture of the scene before contacting Bentley.
"Hey, Bentley. I just made it through that forest. The only thing on the other side is more cliffs and ocean."
"I had thought as much." Bentley replied.
"What do you mean?"
"Judging from where we landed and how the cliffs looked here, I had guessed that we were either on a peninsula or an island. Rioichi headed south of the van and has only found sprawling landscape. With that and what you just told me, we must be on a peninsula."
"Okay…." Sly began, not fully understanding how his friend had deciphered that but not willing to comment on it. "So what have the others found?"
"Well, Salim found beach area and Galleth was in the same boat as Rioichi, only finding land. Tennessee went along the Cliffside following it. I haven't heard from him yet."
"Ah, okay then. I'm heading back toward the van then."
"We'll be waiting." Bentley said before communication dropped and Sly made his trek back through the forest that now held his disdain.
Back at the van, Bentley sighed, taking off his glasses momentarily and pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to puzzle out what was going on and where they were. 'Okay.' He thought, 'the reason for the situation is likely caused by either the Thievius Raccoonus, or due to everyone being somehow linked with the time machine. To add to that we are on a peninsula somewhere up north, as the air and water are too cold to be anywhere else…so a peninsula up north….judging from what the world map looks like, we could either be in Canada again, in Greenland, or the Nordic States. Iceland is out of the question, as that's an island. Hmm…' It was then that Bentley was interrupted by a call on his binoccucom. Looking over at it, he realized the call was from Tennessee. Quickly, Bentley answered it. "Finally! We've been worried Tennessee! Everyone else had called in except you."
"Yeah, sorry 'bout that mate." Tennessee began.
"So, what did you find?"
"What did I find? More like what didn't I find! Hoo boy! Ya'll need to get here faster than a six legged coyote!" his western accent becoming more prominent with his excitement.
"What? Why? What's going on?"
"A hoedown, that's what! Two ships have met on the ocean and they be brawlin' it out like no tomorrow!"
"Brawling? Tennessee! If there's a fight then we should be getting away from it, not toward it!" Bentley answered back frantically. Dear God…what if any of those people saw him? That's just a time paradox waiting to happen! "Tennessee, I must insist that you come ba-"
"No! Really, ya'll need to get here. It's not just any brawl with any 'ol blokes! There's 'nother raccoon on one of them ships! An' git this! He's got the Cooper Cane….with an ax on et!" Tennessee replied quickly, hoping the last part would push Bentley into gathering the others and coming over. It did.
"Another raccoon with a Cooper Cane?! Forget what I said then, stay where you are, I've got your coordinates. We'll all be there soon." With that Bentley hung up on Tennessee and called everyone else back to the van ASAP. Sly arrived first, followed by Rioichi, who had been using his Dragon Leap to get around. A few minutes later produced a flustered Sir Galleth, who had had a recent run in with a not-too-friendly seagull. Salim arrived last, looking tired as usual. Sly wanted to make a comment that Salim was a Cooper and needed to get his 'game' on, but apparently Rioichi knew it too. Sly immediately shut up and shrank down in response to the look Rioichi was giving him.
"A Cooper he may be, but he is of a ripe age. I believe he moves respectfully well for a raccoon of his nature. Respecting your ancestors is important, but you must also respect your elders, Sly." Rioichi chastised. He didn't want to be too hard on him, but it was apparent that the whole aspect of respect had unfortunately dwindled down the family line, if the two youngest Coopers, Sly and Tennessee, were any indication. He needed to instill that aspect again in the younger generations. He knew it would be easier with Sly, as he was more level headed. Tennessee now….he would be harder. His stubbornness was as hard as Galleth's armor and his skull tended to be thick as well.
Sly shuffled a bit in his spot, feeling much like a young kit again. He was briefly reminded of a time when he was scolded by his mother when he was young, but the memory was faded and foggy. Knowing that continuing to remember that would only lead to that night, Sly shook his head and focused on Bentley. However, his ears stayed folded down, as well as his head, a sign of apology to Rioichi for almost being rude to Salim. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Rioichi slightly nod as to accept the silent apology.
"Prithee, what is it that thou callest us here?" Galleth asked. "And where art is that young rascal?"
"I assume you mean Tennessee, right?" Bentley asked. Sir Galleth nodded. "Ah, well there is an answer to both of your questions. One, Tennessee isn't here because he is at the location I told him to stay in. We are going to head there ourselves. Tennessee discovered something that might help us figure out what is going on." He paused, waiting for everything to sink in.
"Go on…" Sly urged.
"He came upon a battle scene between two ships. According to Tennessee, there is a raccoon on one of the ships that his wielding an ax with the Cooper Cane on it." He finished bluntly. It took a moment for the four to get it.
"So…" Sly started, "you think this raccoon might be…"
"The time machine is linked with Cooper history. I would not be surprised if the one Tennessee saw was also a Cooper, and one of your ancestors, much like Bob."
"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
"You don't need to tell me twice." It was here that Murray announced that the van was working enough to drive to the location, which everyone agreed. It was rather funny to see how Rioichi, Galleth and Salim reacted to the van as it began moving. Rioichi just stared wide eyed out the back, wondering what was pulling the large enclosed cart. Salim wondered how Murray was able to control such a beast, and Galleth was spouting something about witchcraft, which was ignored for the most part.
About ten to twenty minutes later the gang found Tennessee sitting on a rock, waving his hand with his signature grin and his tail swishing happily behind him. "'bout time ya'll got here! Ya just missed it! Battle ended a couple minutes ago." He said as everyone practically swarmed around him to take a look down below. There was one boat that looked about to sink. It was also smoking and there was some fire on the front deck. Bodies littered said boat and floated above the water. Just a few meters away was another boat, with barely any scratches on it. Moving to a different rock to get a closer look, the group saw who Tennessee was speaking of.
Right there, at the stern was a raccoon. He was rather burly for a raccoon, but was certainly not as big as Bob was. His fur was red and he sported black strips along his tail. Mischievous green eyes glowed in triumph as they rested over the ruins of the enemy ship. In his hands was a large stone and metal ax, with the tell-tale Cooper Cane on it as well.
"Well I'll be…" Sly whispered as he stared at the other. "His clothing…does that mean he's…"
"He's a Viking for sure." Bentley finish, pushing his glasses up. "Well, now I know where we are. We have to be in the Nordic States. Possibly Norway, especially with the presence of those Vikings." There was silence before Tennessee suddenly broke into a large smile.
"You tellin' me wees got a Viking fer an ancestor? Heck yeah!" he said, a little louder than the others would have preferred, but thankfully the wind had picked up so there was little chance he was heard. Even after being shushed by everyone, Tennessee didn't care. He had a Viking ancestor. A friggin' Viking! He had heard many stories about them as a child from the innkeeper up in Maine when he would visit, and had always wanted to see one. But to have one for an ancestor? Tennessee could die happy now.
Ignoring his bouncing American ancestor, Sly looked back to the ship and tilted his head in confusion. "Hey, what's going on now?" The others looked to see what Sly was talking about. It seemed as though everyone on the ship was holding a mug and chanting something. There were loud cheers and happy cries and triumphant roars as the men stomped and bashed mugs against one another before drinking. The red raccoon seemed to be the leader of the ship, as he stayed at the front and head of the others.
"They look like they're celebrating to me." Murray said, scratching his head. Bentley agreed, just wishing he knew what they were saying. As soon as the supposed celebration began, it ended and the Viking raccoon pointed eastward with his cane, saying something to his men, who all gave what sounded like an affirmative call. Soon, the men were on either side of the large vessel, grabbing thick wooden paddles and began rowing as another shipmate adjusted the sails.
"Let's follow them." Sly suggested as he began following the coastline again with his eyes, hoping to follow the ship from above. The others quickly agreed and got in the van. They drove quietly, and slowly, not wanting to alert the Vikings of their presence. A few times they had lost track of the boat, but by now Bentley had been able to create a map of the region and was able to figure out that the boat, judging from the location it was headed, was going toward a large group of rocks. Uncertain but having no other idea, Murray turned the van around and drove toward the rocks.
Reaching the cliff just before the rocks, Murray put the van in park and let everyone get out. "Looks like we'll have to go by foot from here." Bentley said.
"But where though? I don't see anything." Murray asked, thoroughly confused.
"Those rocks look big enough. Perhaps there are caves there as well?" Rioichi replied.
"And perhaps the ship is docked in a cave." Salim finished, looking at the steep cliff drop warily, not looking forward to it. He just knew his bones were going to protest.
"That sounds very likely." Bentley said. "Alright, down to the rocks and caves!" It took a while, but everyone managed to get down fine and found, much to their pleasant surprise, that there was a bunch of little rocks and boulders making a nice pathway from rock to rock. After searching three rocks and one small cave, the group suddenly heard a loud, almost crashing sound. A loud, angry roar followed. As Sly stared on in the direction of the roar, he suddenly found himself scared. Something was telling him that whatever had made that sound was not happy, and that it would be foolish to follow it. Unfortunately, he had to swallow that fear and make his way there along with the others. They made their way closer to the second largest rock when the sound of yet another battle reached their ears. Sly again felt that lump of fear in his throat as his ears went down and his tail froze. His eyes widened at the sounds.
There were more roars and yells, both of anger and immense pain. Sounds of death followed as well as the sound of something wet. Sly had a horrible suspicion that the mystery wet sound was caused by blood and body parts being hacked to pieces. He too had heard stories of Vikings and knew just how vicious they could be. He looked at the cave entrance. They were only a few feet away. Just a handful more of boulders and they would be able to look inside. Sly began to shake lightly as another roar shook the air along with an angered cry in a language he could not understand. He did not want to be there. He didn't want to be there at all, and who could blame him? He had never been in this type of situation before. He was used to visual horrors, like with Clockwerk. Not…not auditory horror.
Salim was actually the only one to notice Sly's odd behavior. Taking in his young descendant's posture he knew automatically what was going on. Normally he was not the touchy-feely kind of person, but he was the oldest one here and so he felt that, somewhere deep in his heart and mind, that he should be the one in charge of the youngsters. For all he knew, Sly, and Tennessee for that matter, were still a little too young. He briefly humored himself on what their reactions would be if he forced the two to stay in a den nest like he had his own kits do when they were but tiny little ones. Realizing that now was not the time for that, Salim made his way over to Sly and wrapped an arm around him, keeping him close as he took his other hand and stroked the place where Sly's neck and head met in an effort to calm the younger down.
Sly jolted at the sudden contact, but leaned in, eyes dropping slightly. The sort-of hug and calming strokes were well appreciated and Sly felt absolutely terrible for everything mean he had either said or thought about the old Arabian. He was glad Salim was there. It almost felt like his own father was still there. Sadly, the sound of what might have been a man being chopped in half had Sly freezing up again.
Salim felt Sly starting to calm down before the scream had him frozen again. With a sigh he realized that Sly was not going to calm down as long as those sounds kept coming. Normally he did not like using his talents in the open, but it would be for a good cause. Lifting his finger and twirling it around Salim began softly chanting something. Once he was done he gently placed both his hands over Sly's ears.
Sly was frozen, in his head all he kept hearing was those awful screams. They whirled around like a tsunami and Sly began to feel sick. Just has he thought that he couldn't take anymore, everything went silent. Sly blinked and found himself back in reality. He paused, trying to figure out what happened. He….couldn't hear anything. Nothing. Not even the water hitting the rock he was on. It was then that he realized that it felt as though something was plugging his ears. Reaching up, he found nothing. He then looked at Salim wide-eyed and his ancestor held a warm smile. It hit him then. Salim could use some magic, Sly knew. He must have cast a spell preventing Sly from hearing the thing that scared him. He smiled back, relief in his eyes. "Thanks…"
The others had stopped and waited patiently while the scene unfolded. Galleth, however, turned and finished making his way to the cave. Despite the sounds, he was not afraid. He had heard many similar sounds in his own battles, and he would not mind watching a bit of it as well. He knew he'd get chastised for it, but watching bloody battles was practically a sport back in England.
Reaching the entrance of the cave, he peered in. His eyes widened as he figured out what had happened. There were the men from the ship earlier, their original white and grey tunics stained red with their blood. They lay dead along with other men wearing different clothing. An ambush then. Galleth glowered at the dead men from the other group. As much as he liked a good battle, an ambush was not something he liked. It was dishonorable. More importantly it was cowardly, and Sir Galleth had no patience for the likes.
He looked up again at the sound of weapons clashing. He spied on the deck of the ship the red raccoon leader and another who Galleth supposed was the leader of the other group going head to head. Something looked off about the raccoon though. His eyes held something wild. A lust for blood that Galleth had never seen. A lack of any form of recognition. Galleth could only stare in awe as he watched the bloody and brutal battle. The Viking raccoon already had many wounds and Galleth found himself wondering how the other could possibly be moving. He watched as the mace from the enemy came closing in, missing its intended target of the head, but hitting the shoulder leaving the sound of a nasty crack. The raccoon did not seem to register the pain as he grabbed a hold of his enemy, raised his ax high and silenced the other for eternity.
Galleth breathed in awe. To be able to continue even with such a wound as that of a shattered shoulder? He couldn't think of anyone that could do that. He continued to stare at the victorious man in amazement as the other began to sway, whatever that was keeping him up fading away, and collapse on the floor, blood spilling out from multiple wounds. Galleth felt numb. What was he to do? It was then that he suddenly remembered something. A note, one that had been written to him by his father whom he had never known.
Honor is a tricky thing, my son. It acts as a guide in life and as a code to live by. However, honor is subjected to the mind of individuals. Each person has a different honor, a different sense of honor. What may be honorable to you may not be to another. My advice is to have an honor that respects other honors. If your honor tells you it is wrong to kill an opponent when they are defeated, but for them it is more honorable to die in battle, give them that. Be the stronger one and be able to hold your honor in check to allow them theirs.
It had been a very inspiring and deep note. Galleth kept it with him always under his pillow back home. Taking a deep breath and ignoring the smell of blood, he made his way over to the fallen raccoon. No…that wasn't it. He made his way to the fallen warrior. 'Thank you father.' He thought as his mind cleared and his resolve steeled. Finally, he was by the warrior's side. He knelt down, noticing the man was still breathing, but barely. Galleth laid his sword to the side and took off his helmet, not caring how his fur looked. He gently took hold of the Viking leader and turned him over. No man should have to die with his head to the ground, especially not a man as honorable as the one before him.
Pained and dulled green eyes peered up at calm brown. The red raccoon blinked in confusion at the one before him now. Never before had he seen such a skinny raccoon, or one with such light colors as well. The other's outfit was also something he had never seen before. It gleamed, reflecting the light of the now bloodied water below. What surprised the wounded warrior the most was that those brown eyes held no pity. Only respect.
"H-hvem er du?1" his deep and scratchy voice sounded.
Galleth could not for the life of him understand what his warrior ancestor had said, but for some strange reason, he was able to get the gist of it. "Mine name be not important. But for an honorable warrior such as yourself…I am called Galleth."
The other was having the same problem. What strange words this one spoke! If he wasn't dying he would have loved to talk more and hear those odd, funny, yet comforting sounds. However, he was able to figure out what he had said. "G-gae…lleth… Gaeleth." He said, trying to pronounce the odd name. He was sure he said it wrong, but he didn't care. It was a nice name. He wondered why he felt so calm in this strange man's presence. For all intents and purposes, he should feel threatened….and yet… Looking up at the other again he finally realized why. The other bore a striking resemblance to one of his sons, whom had decided to stay earthbound and went south-east towards Germania. But this was not his son, he knew, but he felt as though this raccoon was kin and he smiled.
Galleth looked thoughtful at the raccoon as he tried to pronounce his name. "What is thine own name?"
The other looked confused again before guessing what was asked of him. "Loki…no…Logi." he said, changing his name. Even though he had gone by 'Loki' for many years, he felt the need, the want for this somehow kin to know his real name.
"Logi…" Galleth began, catching the other's attention. "What is thy honor?"
The fallen warrior, Logi, could not explain it. But suddenly it was as though he could understand everything that 'Gaeleth' had said. Feeling an odd emotion he had not felt in a long time the elder of the two smiled. "Min ære ... satt mitt skip ut på havet for å brenne det med mine menn og jeg ombord.2" he softly whispered.
Galleth also noticed that by some twist in fate he too could understand the other. After hearing the request, he stared at the other for a moment before saying "It shall be done."
"Takk…3" Logi whispered again, before managing to shift his broken body and catching the younger's attention. He nodded his head to the door of the ship and then to the side of the cave where many rocks sat, as if to say 'check these locations out.' He smiled again as his vision began to fade. He found peace, knowing he was in good hands.
Galleth watched silently as the honorable Viking passed on. He eyes heated up and he felt that he was about to cry. He blinked them back. No. This warrior did not deserve tears. Only stoic remembrance and his last wish granted.
It was dusk by the time the locations were checked and the ship steered into the sea again. Logi and his men were placed orderly on the ship's deck, with white cloths over each body in solemn respect. As the ship started floating away, Sly changed into his archer outfit that he had kept from when he was in Sir Galleth's time and notched an arrow. Rioichi preceded then the wrap a cloth covered in oil around the tip and upper shaft of the arrow and Tennessee took his lighter and set it aflame. Taking careful aim, Sly let the fire arrow fly. The sky turned orange-red as the flames licked the boat. Everyone stood silent as they watched the scene.
Inside the cabin, they had found a desk of sorts with papers. A small bunch looked particularly out of place. Bentley had recognized it as a journal. Unfortunately it was written in Nordic, which Bentley didn't know how to read. But he guessed that they belonged in the Thievius Raccoonus. By the rocks they had found a secret opening, which led to a large chamber filled with gold and other stolen and pillaged treasures, including a perfect set of Roman armor. Knowing there was no way to take an of it with them, Bentley managed to set up a small security thing to protect the chamber and marked it on the map, so that it could be found in any time period.
Once the boat had effectively burned and the fire dying out leaving only floating ashes and some of the boat's framework to sink, the others began a silent trek back to van. When they were finally up the cliff they noticed the world starting to fade and spin. All eyes widening, they made a mad dash toward the van and piling in just as the time machine activated again, sending the group to wherever it desired.
And there we have it! Chapter 2! I hoped you all liked it! Anyway here is what was being said:
1 "Who are you?"
2 "My honor... set my ship out to sea and burn it with my men and I aboard."
3 "Thank you."
All is in Norwegian (hopefully I have all of that correct). Anyway, here is the profile I promised at the beginning.
Name: Logi "Loki" Cooper
Gender: Male
Cane: Ax
Description: Red fur with black rings and green eyes. Wears the traditional Viking clothes and armor.
Extra: He is nicknamed "Loki" after the God of Mischief for his general attitude. Eventually it just sort of became his second name. His biggest raid was that of a Roman vessel ship, where he pillaged it single-handedly. He is particularly good at combining stealth with brute force. He is also a Berserker.
Logi "Loki" Cooper is DarkinUnderground's character. I was just given permission to use him.
