Master of Thieves
Chapter 15: A Scottish Predicament
Sly was moving fast through a Time Rift in Ancient Egypt, when he felt that the sandy wind blowing into his face had somewhat turned into raindrops pelting his already sandy face in mere seconds. After what he felt seemed like traveling forward a few centuries, he landed on his front onto a field of waterlogged grass near a massive lake.
Aside from how damp the ground was and how much fog there was on the majority of the lake, Sly felt heavy downpour and heard a few thunder booms in the clouds above him; he lifted his head a little to see that, somehow, he ended up in Scotland near the infamous Loch Ness.
This sudden realisation had lit a hopeful spark in his brain, since he could encounter his Scottish Ancestor, Slaigh MacCooper; the spark grew brighter when he saw a hamlet further down the hill, with a massive stone castle on the cliffs above it, so he pushed himself off the muddy ground and brushed off as much mud he can before proceeding towards the hamlet. Sly was pacing between a jog and a sprint, since he was on a dirt path in a heavy downpour, his thoughts constantly focused on meeting Slaigh officially.
When he had finally reached the hamlet, he saw lit lanterns perched on the windowsills in every building, indicating the strong likelihood that the residents were indoors. When he felt a breeze came through, Sly shivered in cold and glanced around for any signs for an Inn or someplace with vacancy. Sly felt something in his nose and it began to twitch, before he let out a loud *ATCHOO!*; he then looked groggily around for anything useable for shelter, when he saw a light in a cave overlooking the hamlet.
With no time to waste, Sly paced quickly up a muddy path leading to the cave, before taking shelter and sitting down with his arms crossed and his teeth chattering from the cold. He looked down at the lake, wondering if the Loch Ness Monster was even real; however, he didn't realise that someone else was vacating the cave as well until he was knocked out from behind.
He then came to for what felt like half an hour on a weathered cot bed, wrapped in 3 layers of thick woollen blankets inside a rocky room with a lantern lit above; he turned his head to the left and saw a wooden table with 2 wooden chairs, with a familiar book on the table. He then saw an odd-looking cane that, with a squinted look, looks to be a stone carved Cooper Cane.
Before he could realise where he was, a portion of the cave wall slid across to let in a large, burly figure; the figure ducked its head so he wouldn't hit the top of the retractable cave door frame, before closing it back up. It then noticed Sly looking at him in surprise, before saying in a rugged Scottish accent "Hey there laddie… Are you feeling more warmer?" Sly didn't say a word, though he nodded at the figure in response; he then realised that he lost his father's cane when he left the Time Rift and tried to get off the cot, but the blankets covering him prevents him from leaving.
The figure then went over to Sly, revealing himself to be none other than Slaigh MacCooper, and kept him in the cot to prevent him from catching another cold. He then told Sly while trying to hold him down gently "Hold your horses for a moment, laddie; you don't want to catch another cold, do yeh?" Sly then replied, looking rather desperate "I gotta get back out there… My cane is still outside."
Slaigh looked rather surprised at Sly's statement and inquired "A Cane? What does it look like, laddie?" Sly explained what his cane looked like to Slaigh, which the latter took a good think about it with pursed lips and squinted eyes with his iris's glancing to the side. When Sly finished, Slaigh puts his finger up and went over to a wrapped blanket next to his and carried it over to Sly, before he unwrapped it to reveal some heavy woollen clothing.
Sly glanced between the woollen clothes and Slaigh, before he inquired "Why are you giving me these, Slaigh?" To his surprise, Slaigh grinned at him and replied "Oh, I know a Cooper when I see him or her; as far as our generations go, our canes are our most signature equipment. Plus, I don't hold back those who are persistent towards a task." Sly smiled at Slaigh, pleased that his ancestor is willing to help him find his cane, before Slaigh unwrapped the blankets around Sly and gave him the woollen clothing.
As Slaigh turned away from Sly so the latter would change into more appropriate clothing, he asked "If I may, what'd be your name, laddie?" Sly replied as he got the woollen pants on and began to put on the woollen cloak next "Sly Cooper… I'm… your very distant descendant in the future."
Slaigh nodded with his eyes widened a little, before he asked his descendant curiously "What's the future like in your time? I'll admit to some concern." Sly replied as he was putting on the right sleeve of the woollen cloak "Well… There's still some strife here and there, but aside from the differences in technology, it's more or less alright."
Slaigh shrugged with a bored look with his lips pursed, before Sly tapped on Slaigh's right arm and showed him wearing the full woollen clothing set. Slaigh gave him a pat on the back, much to the latter's agonising pain and personally prefers Murray's back pat over Slaigh's, before the latter grabbed his signature cane leaning against the cave wall and led Sly outside.
When they came out of the cave, they saw that, aside that the downpour had finally stopped, the same drones that Sly had encountered back in Ancient Egypt are patrolling the hamlet too. Sly then said softly, his eyes looking worried "Oh boy… Here we go again." Knowing that Drake is not far off, he gestured Slaigh to retreat back into the hideout and explained to him on what was understandably a complicated situation he's in, though Slaigh payed attention to every word without any sign of disbelief.
When Sly finished explaining, Slaigh stroked his chin to ponder for a few moments, before saying "So, what you're saying is a second-in-command to our greatest foe Clockwerk is constantly trying to fulfil his master's wish to eradicate you, but your distant cousin from Thaddeus' side in England about a few centuries from now is helping your Cooper Gang in your present day is preventing your demise?"
Sly gave a simple nod at Slaigh without turning away his desperate gaze, before Slaigh made a small smile and noted "Well, I'm quite interested to meet your distant cousin and, what you explained on how resourceful and courageous he is, his help will surely shift the odds in our current situation." Sly smiled, not denying Terry's exceptional skills with the Cooper Clan's abilities and how assessive he is when it comes to topography.
He then realised that he can use his Binocu-Com to contact him again, but he used the last of the battery during Operation Jackal Swatter. His eyes then widened as he hatched a plan to get batteries and asked "Hey Slaigh, how would you like to steal something from the drones?" Slaigh raised his brow at his descendant in interest, wondering on what idea he's got.