Hey guys how have you been? I'm back once again with another chapter. This one took longer than it should've. But in any case it's here and ready to be read. I enjoyed writing this one as it's easily my favorite mission from the outback operation. So please grab yourself a nice, tall glass of your favorite beverage, as we dive into todays chapter: Lemon Rage.
Disclaimer: I do not under any circumstance own Sly Cooper.
Chapter 20: Lemon Rage
After the gang had rested they geared up for their next job: clearing out the local lemonade bar. Once they were set they headed out. It didn't take long to reach the bar, as it was only a short distance from the safe house.
"Alright guys… look tough and get angry, it's time to intimidate the locals." Sly said.
"I'm not sure I can do it… how do you guys get angry?" Bentley asked.
"Find the match deep inside yourself… light it, and let the fire burn up your guts and boil your blood!"Murray said flexing his muscles.
"Uh yeah, I pretty much do the same thing. Look, our goal is to drive away these miners, and we'll do whatever it takes." Sly said. They all nodded and entered the bar.
Upon entering the bar the gang saw a small army of dingoes sitting at tables drinking lemonade. There was a fire pit in the back, with a large ham roasting on a spit. The room was dominated by a corner area containing a filled table with eight dingoes having a drink off. While all this was happening a nearby band was playing a merry tune. Sly then whistled catching the attention of the mass of miners.
"Listen up dirt bags… time to clear out, from now on this bar is Cooper Gang turf!" Sly said in a tough tone. In response they were approached by a group of four dingoes with unimpressed looks on their faces.
"Tough talk Wagga, but you ain't got no respect with us. We here are known around these parts for our drinkin' skills… and this just happens to be a lemonade bar." said the head of the group. Then Bentley started to lose whatever nerve he had.
"Sly, I'm not so sure this is a good idea." Bentley said hoping to talk Sly out of doing something stupid.
"If a lemonade drinking challenge is what you had in mind then the four of us will take on the best four lemonade drinkers you got." Sly said. Then one of the dingoes spotted Neyla.
"Cute girl you got there." the dingo said as he moved a hand to touch her only for it to be swatted away.
"Back off." Neyla said firmly and threateningly. This however only made the leader laugh.
"Feisty little sheila aren't ya? I'll tell you what raccoon what say we up the stakes a bit?" said the lead dingo. This caught Sly's attention and not in a good way.
"What did you have in mind?" Sly asked.
"If you and your gang win, my boys and I will clear out and never come back. But if we win…" he said pointing a finger at Neyla. "Not only do you have to clear out, but we get to keep the girl." he said. This sent Sly into panic mode and was about to turn it down, but Neyla stopped him.
"You're on!" Neyla said. This got the dingoes to smile.
"Alright then. Let's get this started. Follow us." he said leading the gang over to the corner table as the band resumed their tune. Once everyone was situated the bartenders brought eight large mugs of lemonade to the table. Then everyone got ready.
"Ready… Steady… GO!" said the head dingo as he and Sly began chugging down their respective mugs. All the while the dingoes in the background as well as the rest of the gang were chanting the word "Chug!" as they did so. Within moments Sly had finished his mug seconds before his opponent finished his. Then it was Neylas turn. She started gulping hers down like no tomorrow, just as her opponent picked up his mug.
"You got this Neyla! Be one with the drink! You are the lemonade!" Murray said cheering her on.
Neyla finished her mug a split second before her opponent and then it was Murray's turn. He picked up his mug and began chugging it down. By the time Murray was done with it his opponent was barely halfway through his drink. Bentley then picked up his mug and began drinking. For the others it was a simple task to chug it down, but for Bentley that wasn't the case.
Needless to say he was certainly the slowest drinker of the gang. To his misfortune a good deal of the lemonade spilled on his vest as he was drinking. He was about a third the way through when his opponent was able to start drinking. It was a close match, but Bentley managed to power through and win a second before his opponent. Letting out a victorious belch, he spoke.
"We win… " said Bentley groggily. But the dingoes were anything but happy.
"That's cheatin'! Why the turtle spilled more than he drank… 'Round here there's only one thing we do with cheaters. Turn on the fence Bruce, it's time we gave these cheaters a beatin'!" said the head dingo as the electric fence behind the table came on. Then the entire bar was on them.
They bolted and began attacking. Bentley fended them off with his bombs, Neyla and Sly fought with their weapons, and Murray used his fists. All the while they were checking in with each other.
"This is tense! Sly! Neyla! Are you guys okay?" Bentley called out as he dodged an incoming blow.
"Right as rain pal!" Sly said as he and Neyla were beating down guards left and right back to back. As they were dealing with the patrons,additional miners came in from the outside.
"They just keep coming! How are you holding up big guy?" Neyla called out using her whip to launch a bottle of Lemonade at a miner.
"Feelin' strong!" Murray said as he continued doing what he did best. He couldn't remember the last time he was in a fight of this size. He fought with all his might. Every guard that entered his line of sight was pummeled without mercy, and every now and then he would toss a guard into the electric fence. Eventually the guards that weren't knocked out saw they were outmatched and bolted out never to return. With the bar empty the gang stood triumphant.
"YES! The Cooper gang rules the roost, we're the kings of the hill, the totally maxed out heavyweight champions!" Murray said as he flexed his muscles.
"Those guys won't be comin' back here any time soon." Sly said. But before they could celebrate, they heard a set of heavy footsteps approaching them. They turned to the entrance and saw a massive dingo wearing the Mask of Dark Earth.
"Uh… guys, looks like they saved their big guy for last." Neyla said.
"He's wearing that freaky bad spirit mask… he must be so jacked!" Murray said.
"We'll need to work together to take this guy down… That mask has a powerful force in it." Bentley said. Then the dingo went rampant, destroying anything on sight, starting with the electric fence. In one hit the fence was crushed before his might. Then with a mighty howl, he destroyed the nearby bar. Then he turned his attention to the gang. He shouted something to them in a language that none could decipher. Then he charged at them.
The gang scattered, Bentley taking a position where the fence once stood, while Murray attempted to open a barrel storage unit. All the while Sly and Neyla kept the dingo distracted. While the dingo was chasing them, Bentley readied a bomb near the center of the room. Once he got to a safe distance he readied his detonator.
"Lure him over my bomb!" Bentley called out. Neyla and Sly did just that as they ran with the dingo in hot pursuit. The moment he neared the bomb Bentley set it off, dazing him. Using this opportunity, Sly and Neyla began attacking him with their weapons, eventually sending him flying, and regaining consciousness.
While the guard chased them around once again, Murray managed to open the storage unit, picking up a massive barrel of lemonade.
"I'll try to knock him out with this barrel!" Murray called out. They ran with the dingo hot on their heels. When he was close enough, Murray threw the barrel with all his might at the dingo knocking him out. Then like before, Neyla and Sly began attacking him with every ounce of strength they had. Then the guard fell down with a thud, and the mask pried itself off and made a run for it.
"Finally, that guy was… The mask! It's getting away?!" Neyla said.
"We might have cleared out this bar… but that mask is sure to keep making trouble for us… We need to destroy it." Bentley said. With that said and done they exited the bar and headed back to the hideout.
Back at the hideout Bentley spent a couple of hours preparing their next move. When he was ready he called the rest of the gang with his projector set up. When everyone was situated Bentley dimmed the lights and fired up the projector.
"You can feel it in the air, the miners are about to pack it in." Bentley started as the projector cycled through a few photos of the remaining miners. Then it cycled to pictures of guards wearing the Mask of Dark Earth. "In fact they'd probably already be long gone if it wasn't for the corrupting influence of the Mask of Dark Earth. It's clear we need to destroy it. Time for Operation: Moon Crash." Bentley said as the projector cycled to a photo of the gyro copter.
"To start things off, we'll need the Guru to take out the Gyro Copter. With it gone we'll have clear skies for phase two." Bentley said as the projector cycled to a picture of Murray. "Now according to Aboriginal folklore, The Mask of Dark Earth is the sworn enemy of the Moon Spirit." He said circling Murray's belly.
"Given Murray's "Moon Shape" we'll coat him in the glowing oil, and have him pose as the spirit. We'll then dangle him from the crane, the mask is sure to spot it's ancient foe and come running, that's when we'll strike."Bentley continued. "Murray, thunder flop off the crane and obliterate that mask." Bentley said as the slideshow ended.
"With the mask destroyed, and the miners run off, the Guru will be free to join the team for the Cooper Vault job." Bentley finished. "We strike tomorrow night. So get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow." Bentley said as he dismissed the gang. Most of the gang would be sleeping well that night, but for Neyla that wasn't the case.
This was her first time seeing the mask's abilities up close. Seeing it turn a regular guard into a genuine monster truly frightened her. As she lay in her bed, she remembered the Gurus first warning to her involving the mask.
"W...What if it brings him out?" Neyla thought. She had seen what Clockwerk was capable of in her dreams. She couldn't fathom what would happen if he took over her body. Neyla shook it off, she needed to be at her best. Neyla adjusted her covers and sighed as she fell asleep.
Another chapter is complete! Hope you guys enjoyed it, please feel free to leave a review. I may split the next chapter into two parts depending on what happens. Either way I'll see you guys next time!