Chapter 15

Half-Breed and Crossroads

When the sun rose the next morning, everything was back to normal. Well, almost normal. Rachel was almost fully recovered, just a few cuts and scratches left to show she had ever been in a fight with Nephthys. Still, even though Blain wasn't very happy about it, she decided to hang around. She wanted to thank Sly and the others for saving her. So, she would help them get the medallion away from Nephthys.

Bentley's slide projector hummed to life, and the first slide clicked into place. Bentley cleared his throat and said, "All right people, something has happened to complicate our heist. Last night, Sly's little run in with Clockwerk was a side effect of a much larger spell. According to the local paper, a barrier of magic has appeared Nephthys's temple. Now, from Sly's description Blain and Rachel both agree that Nephthys has rewound time in the area around her temple. For what purpose, we can't be sure. Still, this might both help and hurt us."

The slide projector clicked to show a picture of the temple, "First, the good news. Because the temple has been taken back in time, it has been restored to its prime. That means all secret entrances and passage ways are open and most likely unguarded. Second, there are no cameras, security beams, or any modern security technology. There is, however several curses meant to stop any thieves that might try to enter the temple. From my research, I think we will be able to get some help on this. Still, I'll leave that up to Blain. Now to our actual plan."

The projector clicked to show an overlay of the temple and the surrounding buildings, "Now me, Sly, Murray, and Rachel will head for this secret entrance in the back of the temple. This part of the temple is a labyrinth, but I will have a map along so we won't get lost. Sly will deal with most of the common traps, Murray with any guards we run into, and Rachel will handle any curses we come across. Now, at the same time, Blain, you will be doing the special mission we talked about. Sadie will act as our get away driver, waiting just outside the barrier with the team van. Sadie, should someone see you, drive around the barrier once and return to the rendezvous."

Bentley turned the projector off, looking over the rest of the gang, "Everybody understand their parts. Good, now let's get to work." While the sun set over the Egyptian landscape, the team van was just pulling up to the mystical barrier around the temple complex. Everyone but Sadie stepped out of the panel van, and then watched as it began to drive to the rendezvous point. Sly looked up at the swirling wall of blue, red, and green. He then smiled and said, "Man, we should have brought a few hippies along. They would have thought this barrier was very cool."

Bentley shook his head, "Stay focused Sly."

Sly shrugged, smiling weakly as Blain walked up to the barrier. Rachel was smiling devilishly, a skeptical look on her face, "Sure you can handle that barrier Blain. I can get it if you want."

Blain glanced over his shoulder, but then shook his head, "No, I think I have got it." With that his eyes began to glow. In his right hand appeared a new sword, a blade that looked pretty normal except its blade seemed to be made of glass.

Rachel shook her head, "I hope you don't intend to use that sword to cut the barrier open. It is far too frail of blade."

Blain turned to Rachel, holding up the sword, "Apparently you need to have a refresher course of mystical swords. This is the mirror blade, a weapon that can recreate any attack it has come into contact with. One particular one will be more then enough to cause the barrier to break."

Blain then turned back to the barrier. The sword began to glow brightly, yellow glow. Rachel's eyes widened a bit, and she took a few steps as Blain began to hold the sword above his head. The sword began to change, becoming much larger and gaining a gentle curve to its otherwise straight blade. Blain then took the sword in both hands, holding it off to his right side before he swung it in a wide horizontal arch. From that arch a burst of energy exploded. Five lines of yellow energy cut deeply into the sand, and up the barrier. Like claws raking flesh, the left five great cuts in the barrier. Those cuts quickly formed together into one great hole.

The sword disappeared from Blain's hand, and he looked back at Rachel and asked, "Have I gained your approval Miss Blitz?"

Rachel smiled, walking past Blain, "I have to admit, nice touch using the Wind Scar. Still, I would have used something a little less flashy."

Blain glared at Rachel a little bit, and then let Sly, Murray, and Bentley get through the barrier before he stepped in. The barrier closed after Blain was through, and they were locked into the heist, literally. Blain soon separated from the group, heading to a far corner of the complex while Bentley, Sly, Murray, and Rachel headed for the secret entrance to the temple.

After a little searching, Bentley managed to open the secret passage. The group slowly crept into the darkness, and then lit a torch before continuing. The halls were in the ancient Egyptian style, and had the feel of a tomb. The catacombs were deathly silent, the only sound coming from the group's footsteps as they slowly moved through the darkness.

After a few minutes, Bentley called the group to a halt. He took the torch from Murray, and looked into the darkness ahead. According to his map, they were at the first trap. The walls were covered with several tiny holes, each loaded with a dart that had been dipped in a deadly poison. Bentley looked at the map again, and saw there was a trigger to shut the trap off against the far wall. Unfortunately, someone would have to get to the switch.

As Sly looked over the trap, he began to get an idea. He looked at Murray and asked, "How far can you throw a discus again?"

Murray smiled, flexing his muscles, "The Murray can throw a flimsy little disc a very great distance. Why do you ask citizen?"

Sly eyes rolled, looking over at Bentley. Murray quickly got the idea, remembering back to a few times during the Klaww Gang heists that he had thrown Bentley up to certain points. Murray quickly moved around Sly. He waited for just the right moment before he let out a great roar. Just as he hoped, Bentley jumped and began to pull his legs, head, and arms into his shell. Murray quickly grabbed Bentley while he was in his shell. He then took his discus throwing position, spun around once and threw Bentley.

Bentley soared threw the air, across the dangerous hall without touching the floor, thus not activating the deadly trap. Bentley landed on the far side, skidding across the floor a little bit before he came out of his shell. Bentley's face was priceless, a mixture of anger, surprise, and nausea. Rachel was able to stifle her laughter while Murray and Sly were not even trying to hold theirs in. Bentley growled a little bit, and then hit the switch that deactivated the trap. He then waited for Rachel, Sly, and Murray to catch up with him. Then, in a quick motion, Bentley grabbed Sly's can and rapped him in the head with it.

Sly rubbed his head, taking back his cane as he asked, "What was that for?"

Bentley crossed his arms, tapping his foot, "Oh, don't be playing innocent with my Sly. That was your idea, wasn't it?"

Sly shrugged, "I may have had something to do with it."

Bentley glared at Sly for a little bit longer before he shook his head, pulled out his map again, and continued to lead the group through the dark catacombs. Along the way they ran into only a couple more traps, ones which Sly was able to turn off without having Murray throw Bentley halfway across the room. The only other problems were a few mystical barriers they ran into and the guards. The barriers were quickly dispelled by Rachel, and Murray took great joy pummeling the well armored guards to a pulp.

It wasn't long until the gang reached the end of the secret passage way. Bentley gently opened the door at the end of the hall, and peered out. The passage had led to the main hall, just where they needed to be. What was even better was Nephthys was on her throne, fast asleep, with the medallion of conscience handing loosely around her neck. Bentley pulled his head back into the secret passage, closing the door again as he turned to face Sly, Murray, and Rachel.

Sly looked down at Bentley and asked, "So, what's the story?"

Bentley unfolded his map and said, "Well, we are right where we are supposed to be. The problem, Nephthys is sitting in her throne. She is asleep, and we might be able to sneak through the hall without waking her. The problem, she is wearing the medallion around her neck."

Sly smiled, "You make it sound like a bad thing. This makes our job easier. I can just sneak up, steal the medallion, and we can get out of here."

Bentley put the map away, rubbing his neck, "I don't like it Sly. What if she wakes up?"

Sly moved past Bentley, gently pushing the secret door open, "You give me to little credit. I am a master thief. I specialize in stealing things without anyone noticing." Before Bentley could protest, Sly had already left. He moved very slowly, using his ancient Egyptian ancestor's technique to turn invisible. He moved slowly, staying so quite that you could hear a needle drop.

After a few anxious minutes Sly reached Nephthys's throne. He moved around back, gently picking up the chain that held the medallion around Nephthys's neck. He began to lift slowly, pulling the chain off of her head. When the chain was halfway off of her neck, Nephthys's began to turn over in her sleep. Sly quickly let go of the chain, letting the medallion fall back into place so he would not wake the very powerful Egyptian Mau.

Sly tried again, and this time he was able to get the medallion of Nephthys's necklace. He held the medallion up to show Bentley and the others, who were now letting out the breaths they had been holding for the past few minutes. Unfortunately, as Sly moved away from Nephthys's throne, the medallion's chain got hooked on the end table that stood nearby. The table was very top heavy, and before Sly realized what was happening the table had tipped over, and made a loud crash.

Sly froze, but then quickly broke into a full sprint when Nephthys opened her eyes, and looked straight at him. Nephthys was up off her throne in a heart beat, her hand grabbing onto a long, thin piece of red silk. She spun the fabric around her head like a whip, and then had it lash out at Sly. The end of the fabric began to change, the tip breaking to form five thinner ones. It was like a hand, and it grabbed the medallion out of Sly's hand and brought it back to Nephthys.

Nephthys took the medallion, slipping it around her neck as she said, "Well, isn't it interesting to see you again. Where are your friends? Oh, there they are." Nephthys locked her eyes on Bentley, Murray, and Rachel. With a quick twist of her hand they were pulled out of the secret passage. The door then closed, and locked itself. All the other doors in the hall soon followed suit, trapping Sly and the others inside the temple's main hall. Nephthys began to walk back towards her throne. She took a gentle seat, sitting as if she was royalty.

Rachel, Bentley, and Murray moved over beside Sly, all of their eyes locked on Nephthys as she took a grape from a nearby fruit bowl, and gently popped it into her mouth. She chewed it a few times, and then swallowed. She then picked up another, turning it over in her hand as her magic worked into the delicate piece of fruit. The grape began to grow bigger, and then it exploded in her hand.

Nephthys picked up another grape, letting this one shrivel into a raisin at her touch. She then picked up one last grape, and watched as it slowly turned into a dark purple goo that dripped down to the floor like a syrup. Nephthys smiled, looking over at Sly, Murray, Bentley, and Rachel. Her eyes were filled with a very evil look, a smile on her face that would make the devil himself squirm in fear.

Sly realized they were the grapes. She was going to kill them, and it didn't look like she was going to be nice about it. Nephthys slowly picked up a handful of grapes, holding them in her hand before she threw them into the air. From those grapes, great green vines began to grow. The vines were quick, and they shot down to the floor. They dug into the stone, and then disappeared into the temples foundation. The next moment, the vines reappeared at the gang's feet, and began to encase them great green cocoons.

Sly struggled, but not even Murray could break free of the vines. Soon, Sly could only move his head in hopes that would cause the vines to let go. Nephthys stood up from her throne, picking up the bowl of grapes before she began to move towards Sly. She picked up a single grape, turning it over in-between her thumb and forefinger. She moved over to Sly, smiling as she began to hold the grape down to his mouth. Sly moved his head away, refusing to eat the fruit.

Nephthys was just about to force the grape into Sly's mouth when it just disappeared from her hand. Nephthys also felt a weight had left her chest, and she looked down to see the medallion was missing. She began to look around, trying to find who had stolen the medallion when she heard the sound of someone squishing a grape.

Nephthys turned back to her throne, and saw a raccoon dressed in traditional Egyptian dress sitting in her throne, looking at the medallion that now hung around his neck. Sly blinked a few times, his memory going back to the Thievius Raccoonus. It was his pioneering ancestor, Slytunkhamen. The Egyptian raccoon looked over at Nephthys, smiling a bit before he just disappeared into thin air.

As Nephthys began to look around for Slytunkhamen, she heard the sound of something flying through the air. Above her head, a white sword shot through the air, and stabbed into the heart of her vines. There was a strange, crying sound as grape juice spilled from the source of the vines. The vines then slowly withered, thus releasing Sly, Bentley, Murray, and Rachel. Nephthys cried out in anger, "These transgressions have gone on long enough."

Without even looking at Sly or the others, Nephthys raced across the room to her throne. She quickly shoved it over, the stone breaking apart as it hit the floor. She then stepped into the place where the throne had once stood, and closed her eyes. Across the floor, great mystical designs began to fill the room. The hieroglyphics around the room began to glow, and several strings of energy began to connect with Nephthys.

Nephthys rose up into the air, her own body beginning to glow blood red as she started to grow larger. Soon, she was twice as tall as she was, and her eyes were lost in a constant glow of red. From thin air, Slytunkhamen and Blain appeared next to Sly. Blain looked over at Sly and said, "Sly, Bentley, Murray, I need you to go with Slytunkhamen."

Sly eyes widened, "What, we can't leave you and Rachel alone with Nephthys."

Blain glared at Sly, his eyes cold and commanding, "You aren't leaving us to perish. You are leaving in hopes of stopping Nephthys. She is currently using voodoo magic, provided by Mz. Ruby, to become a demigod. This spell, however, has to be focused through a large ruby. Slytunkhamen knows where that ruby is. You must go and steal that ruby. If you do before the spell has reached its completion, Nephthys will be drained of all her power."

Bentley gulped, "And what if we don't?"

Blain shook his head, "That is not an option. Now go, follow Slytunkhamen."

Sly looked over to Rachel, hoping she would say something different. Unfortunately, she just nodded her head and moved up beside Blain as they both stared down Nephthys. Sly looked over at his ancestor, and then bowed his head once. Slytunkhamen returned the nod, and then began to lead Sly and the others to a secret passage way that had not been seal by Nephthys.

Blain and Rachel looked up at Nephthys. The Egyptian Mau looked down at them, two great blades of fire appearing in front of her. The blades began to swing about. Blain looked over at Rachel, a bit of humor in his voice, "Well, this is the last thing I expected."

Rachel nodded her head, "A Shadow Walker and a Leo Blitz fighting together. Still, you want to know something."

Blain raised an eyebrow, "What?"

Rachel smiled, "It doesn't feel like were enemies."

"Yeah, but that's because right now we are allies. Nephthys is our enemy, and we have to hold our ground until Sly and the others can steal that ruby. So, you up to the task?"

Rachel laughed a bit, holding her hand out in front of her to summon her mystical sword, "I am if you are." Blain bowed his head, and held out his own hand. Rachel then cleared her throat, calling out for her sword Oblivion while Blain summoned Oathkeeper.

Then, something happened that neither were expecting. In their hands did not appear the black sword Oblivion and the white sword Oblivion. They were now holding onto the swords of their families, the ones that had started the rivalry in the first place. Blain's fingers were wrapped around the hilt of Half-breed. Half of the sword was a white blade with the hilt resembling an angel's wing while the other half of the sword with the image of a bats wing on the hilt.

Resting in Rachel's hand was Crossroads. It was a sword with a great, golden handle with four crystals imbedded in the hilt. One of the crystals was red, one was blue, green, and white. The blade itself was made of a clear crystal, but at Rachel's will the blade began to grow a dark blue, the blue crystal on the hilt of the sword glowing brighter then the other three. Rachel and Blain were a little surprised to be holding the swords they had only heard of in stories, but their attention was soon ripped away from their weapons as Nephthys began to attack them. The swords of flame launched themselves at Blain and Rachel, who just stood next to each other and charged forward to meet them.

In another part of the temple, running through dark catacombs, was the rest of the gang. Slytunkhamen was in the lead. Sly was running right next to ancestor with the Bentley and Murray trailing a few steps behind. When they reached the end of the passage, they were standing in a huge room. Most of the room was black, but in the center was the ruby they were looking forward. Sly tried to take a step forward, but his ancestor put a hand out, and pointed to the floor. He quickly took a stone and flint from a pouch on his belt, and lit something against the wall.

A channel of oil quickly began to catch fire, filling the whole room with light. Sly soon saw why Slytunkhamen had stopped him. Had he taken one more step, he would have fallen into a deep bit that was filled with king cobras. Sly gulped, taking a step back as he began to look for another way to the ruby. There was a bridge on the far side of the hall, but there was no way to get to it.

Slytunkhamen, however, saw a path to the bridge. He pulled out his two short swords, both of which were shaped like the tip of Sly's cane. He dug into the wall, setting his feet on a ledge that was barely big enough for his toes. He then began to slowly move around the outside of the circular room, the snakes below watching him with hungry eyes. Sly gulped a bit, but soon pressed the secret button on his cane. The can quickly transformed into a pair of miniature canes which served as climbing hooks. Sly began to follow behind Slytunkhamen, taking his steps as slowly as he possible could.

Sly and his ancestor were just about halfway around the pit when Slytunkhamen slipped. Sly quickly reached out to grab his ancestor's hand, and pull him back up before the king cobras could bite him. When Slytunkhamen had his weapons again, both he and Sly breathed a sigh of relief and continued along the wall.

They soon reached the bridge, and walked along it to reach the ruby. The ruby was supported on a large pedestal, a red light flowing down from a hole in the chamber roof to shine on the gem. Slytunkhamen slowly reached out, giving the pedestal the gem sat on a gentle knock. He listened carefully, listening to the echo. He then smiled, taking a small metal spike out of a pouch on his belt. He twirled it around, and stuck it into the pedestal right next to the floor. He did that about eleven more times, lodging three spikes in each side of the square pedestal. He then reached out, and picked the ruby up.

Like Slytunkhamen suspected, the pedestal moved up a bit and then tired to move back down. His metal spikes, however, stopped the latter from happening. Slytunkhamen smiled, holding the ruby out to Sly. Sly took the jewel, and with an expert lob, threw it over to Murray who caught it gently. The pair then began to make their way back around the pit, there going a little faster now that they had done it once before.

Sly then felt the temple beginning to shake. Without warning, his ancestor disappeared and the temple began to age rapidly. Soon, the shaking had stopped and the temple was back in its original state. Sly continued around the now empty pit until he reached Bentley and Murray. The trio then moved back the way they came, walking into the temples hall to see the place covered in scorch marks. Sitting in the center of the room, sprawled out on the floor was Blain and Rachel. They were breathing like they had run ten miles, up hill for that matter.

Sly moved over to Blain. Blain looked up at Sly, and then dug in his pocket and slowly pulled out a very important object. He held up the medallion of conscience to Sly. Sly took the medallion, smiling as he asked, "Thanks Blain, but where is Nephthys."

Blain turned, pointing over to where Nephthys's throne had been. Sly, Bentley, and Murray turned and cringed when they saw what had become of Nephthys. She looked like a mummy, her skin and fur dried out so bad she was nothing more then bones. She was sitting on the steps that lead up to the where the throne had once stood, her hands wrapped around her body.

Bentley quickly pulled out his cell phone, and called the local police while Sly helped Blain up and Murray helped Rachel. Both Blain and Rachel were a little beaten up, Blain's left eye beginning to swell up while Rachel had a deep cut on her arm. Still, they had held up pretty well against a demigod. Now, however, Nephthys was nothing more then another Egyptian mummy. Hopefully, the real Nephthys would take pity on her in the after life, but neither Blain nor Rachel could say for sure what would happen to the Egyptian Mau.

With the medallion of conscience in hand, the gang packed up the safe house and hopped a flight back to Paris. Blain and Rachel, who were still very tired from their fight with Nephthys, slept most of the way. Rachel had wanted to tag along, but would not tell anyone just why she wanted to. Blain was disguised as a business man in a full, dark blue, business suit while Rachel had stuck with her everyday clothes. As of yet, she didn't have a reason to travel in disguise. Bentley had put on his old disguise as a college professor, a bubble pipe clenched in his teeth as he read the news paper. Murray had gone just as a common Joe, a T-shirt and pair of blue jeans enough of a disguise for him. Sly, however, was no where to be seen.

The reason Sly was absent from the plain was he had decided to travel with Carmelita, within the pages of her book. With the addition of the medallion of conscience, the book could now support Sly's presence for several hours, nearly a day, at a time. The flight to Paris was just a few hours, so there was no worry that Sly couldn't spend the entire flight keeping Carmelita company.