YOWZA it's been way too long my fellow readers! I have finally returned! I tell you this chapter took me forever to write! I really am sorry for the
wait and as usual I hope I do not disappoint. Now it's time to Rock and Roll! Oh… I almost forgot, shout out to surgepower and penelope fan for
keeping me on my toes!
Disclaimer: I do not own Sly Cooper, that right unfortunately belongs to Sanzaru Games… I need a tissue.
Chapter 16: Big Time Spelunking
The next day Sly and Neyla woke up early. After eating a light breakfast and gearing up they headed out for their daily pickpocketing run. About three hours into the
run Sly had them stop at a nearby rock formation.
"Why did we stop Sly?" Neyla asked.
"Stay here for a sec." Sly said as he jumped down behind a passing flashlight there he proceeded to pick his pocket.
"What are you up to Sly?" Neyla thought. She got her answer after Sly finished pickpocketing the guard. After he finished he pulled back his cane and performed an
uppercut that launched the guard into the air. From there he used his cane to latch onto the guards back pocket before slamming him into the ground knocking him
out cold. Then he ran as nearby guards came to investigate. When he got back he found Neyla staring at him in shock.
"What was that?" she asked.
"It's called a stealth slam. Since I don't have Murrays brute strength it's the easiest way for me to take out guards." Sly explained. Within moments Neyla saw where
he was going with this.
"No way, there's no way I'll be able to pull that off!" Neyla said. Despite her protest Sly stayed firm.
"Can I at least finish explaining how it's done?" Sly answered back. Once she calmed down she responded with a nod.
"This technique does not need a lot of strength, it mostly requires leverage." Sly continued as he demonstrated the movements needed to perform the technique.
"It's starts off with a strong uppercut behind the guard." Sly said as he performed an uppercut with his cane.
"Once the guards in the air, latch on to their pocket and bring them down as hard as you can." he said as he brought his cane down.
"Sounds… simple enough." Neyla said. Sly nodded.
"But there is a drawback. The slam itself makes a lot of noise so as soon as the guys out, run." he said. He then spotted another guard down below.
"Why don't you give it a shot right now?" Sly asked. Neyla nodded before jumping down behind the guard. Like Sly did before she picked his pocket clean, then she
performed an uppercut with her cane-sword sending the guard into the air. Then she latched onto his back pocket then brought him down with all her might knocking
him out.
"I actually did it." Neyla thought to herself. Then she headed back to Sly before she was caught by the guards. Once there Sly has laying back on a rock with a smile
on his face.
"That wasn't so bad was it?" Sly said. Neyla responded with a playful punch to his shoulder, followed by a smile.
"I'll take that as a yes." Sly said. Then the pair resumed their run. When it reached the afternoon they rested.
"Not a bad haul." Sly said as he looked at the loot he and Neyla had amassed together.
"Indeed." Neyla said with a look of thought on her face.
"Got something on your mind Neyla?" Sly asked.
"Sly I have a personal question for you." Neyla said. This got Sly's attention and he wondered what she wanted to know.
"I'm open, fire away." he responded. Neyla nodded and prepared her question.
"Can you tell me how you ended up an orphan?" Neyla asked. Part of her wanted to leave the topic alone, but she had to know if what the shadow had told her was
true. She watched as a frown came across Sly's face.
"You don't have to answer if you don't want to." Neyla said.
"No, it's okay I don't mind." Sly said as he sat down on a nearby rock. Neyla nodded and sat down next to him. He gathered his thoughts then he began to speak.
"I was young when it happened but I still remember it clear as day." Sly said. He explained to her how he was supposed to inherit the Thievius Raccoonus that night,
when a gang entered their home unannounced.
"My father fought his hardest to protect us but in the commotion the leader of the gang was able to…" Sly said, unable to finish his sentence. Neyla gave him a
comforting embrace as tears began to roll down his cheeks.
"Your parents would've been proud to see the man you've become." Neyla said truthfully earning a smile from Sly.
"Yeah. They would've." Sly said. Then his communicator went off.
"Sly, I need you and Neyla back at the safe house. We need to get ready for our mission tonight." Bentley said.
"On our way buddy." Sly said as he ended the transmission.
"Back to work?" Neyla asked holding on to his arm.
"Yep. And Bentley is one you don't want to keep waiting." Sly said. Neyla nodded, releasing Sly's arm, then the pair headed back to the Safe house. Once there
Bentley explained the plan for the night. Murray was going to see the Guru first, all the while Sly and Neyla we're to retrieve the Gurus Staff and Moon Stone.
"Those caves are going to be dark, so I took the liberty of creating three sets of night vision goggles to help you see." Bentley said as he handed a pair of said
goggles to each of them.
"And if any of you run into the Mask, approach it with caution." Bentley said. All three of them nodded. As the meeting dispersed Neyla stopped Bentley from leaving.
"Bentley, can I talk to you for a second?" Neyla asked. Bentley wondered what the tigress could want but he nodded and listened.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" Bentley asked. From there Neyla explained everything about her recent nightmare, and her conversation with Sly. This
information definitely got the turtles attention. After they talked there was a brief silence before it was broken by Neyla.
"Bentley, am I going crazy?" Neyla asked. Bentley thought on this for a few moments before he answered.
"I think that's a topic you should bring up with the Guru. But I don't think your going crazy Neyla, for all we know it could be a coincidence." Bentley said. Neyla
nodded.
"Thanks for listening." Neyla said then she left to go get ready for her mission leaving Bentley to his thoughts.
'Looks like being merged with Clockwerk must've affected Neyla more than I thought.' he thought. He theorized that her temporary union with Clockwerk may have
imprinted some of Clockwerks memories into her own. But that still didn't explain the cuts she received from the last time she had her nightmare.
For now all he could do was focus on the task at hand. Soon night was upon them and Sly, Neyla, and Murray headed out to their respective missions. Once they
reached their destinations they strapped on their night vision goggles and entered the caves.
Once inside Bentley spoke each of them through their binocucoms.
"Sly and Neyla, watch your step in there. The goggles will help you navigate the caves, but you still need to be careful. One wrong step and the guards will be the
least of your worries." Bentley said.
"Understood." Neyla said.
"Got it." Sly said.
"Alright. I'm going to go check in with Murray. Good luck you two." Bentley said as the transmission ended and the two began their journey into the darkness.
Meanwhile at Murray's location.
"I know you're a little nervous to see your teacher again, but he's requested that you and I pay him a visit individually." Bentley said through the Binocucom.
"If it wasn't for the Guru I wouldn't be "The Murray" you see before you today. I'm just not too sure he'll be pleased about my progress as a mystic." Murray replied
back thinking back to his actions in Venice.
"What are you talking about? You used the Aboriginal ball form to great effect back in Venice. He'll be proud of you." Bentley replied trying to encourage Murray.
"Maybe. But I lost my temper and got in a fight with Octavio." Murray replied sadly.
"To help me! I'm sure the Guru is happy to see friends sticking up for each other. Head on into the cave, it'll take you right up to him." Bentley said. This seemed to
lift Murray's spirits.
"Ok Bentley, caves ahoy!" Murray said as he proceeded into the cavern. Meanwhile back at the other caves.
"Come on now, quit being being a pain in my rump." Neyla said to herself as she worked on the safe in front of her. Art decryption locks were one thing, but this safe
was a whole different story.
"Just take your time with it." she thought to herself before trying again. Listening carefully she slowly turned the dial to the right. As soon as she heard a faint click,
she carefully turned the dial to the left till she heard the click. Suddenly her communicator went off.
"Neyla! Come in!" Sly said over the communicator.
"Not now Sly." Neyla said as she turned the dial to the right unlocking the safe and revealing the Guru's Walking Staff.
"Neyla you don't understand…" Sly said.
"Understand what Sly?" Neyla asked as she removed the staff from the safe. But when she did she heard a wire snap and an alarm go off.
"They rigged the Staff and Moon Stone!" Sly said.
"Yeah I noticed." Neyla said putting the Staff on her back.
"Listen the detonator is light sensitive, get outside and you'll be fine." Sly said. But Neyla heard a large amount of howling.
"Easier said than done, sounds like they called in the cavalry." she said.
"Never mind them. JUST RUN!" Sly said urgently. She complied and began running at full speed plowing through guards as she went. as she ran she heard the ticking
of the explosive grow steadily quicker. Every time a guard got in her way she used her cane to knock them aside. It was a tough run but she was able to reach the
exit. Once outside she breathed a sigh of relief as the ticking ceased.
"You alright Neyla?" Sly asked.
"Yeah. I'm alright. How about you?" Neyla asked out of breath.
"I'm good and so is the Moon Stone." Sly said.
"So what's next?" Neyla asked.
"For now let's head back to the Safe House with Bentley." Sly said.
"Got it. See you there Sly." Neyla said. Then she headed out to the Safe House. Meanwhile…
"I did it! Three against one and I still took you piston chumps to school!" Murray said as he stood triumphantly over the now flattened pistons. Using a nearby spring
launch Murray jumped back up to the now unlocked pressure door. But as he entered he bore witness to the largest Kangaroo guard he had ever seen. Then he
noticed said guard was wearing the Mask of Dark Earth. Quietly he pulled out his Binocucom and contacted Bentley.
"Are you seeing this Bentley? He must be jacked up by that Mask the Guru was warning us about!" Murray said.
"Curious, it seems to make the wearer much larger… probably more aggressive too." Bentley said.
"I can take'em! My righteous quest to see the Guru won't be stopped by some big stupid freak in a mask!" Murray said. Bentley simply shook his head.
"Even if you won, you'd have nowhere to go. The door leading to the Guru is sealed by an electric deadbolt. Everything runs off the same circuit, even the drills in the
room…" Bentley said only to be interrupted by Murray.
"Then I'll throw this clown into the drills!" Murray said earning a surprised look from Bentley.
"That might break the circuit, give it a try." he said. Then Murray put the device away and carefully moved towards the giant guard. Once he was close enough he hit
him hard with his signature sucker punch. Once the guard was on the ground, he lifted him up and tossed him into the first drill he saw. From there Murray used his
uppercut and juggle technique to catch and throw the guard. He did this about six times altogether till all the drills were destroyed and the guard was down. But then
unexpectedly the Mask of Dark Earth pulled itself off and ran off.
"Holy cow! That mask can run! Mine can't do that." Murray said.
"Intriguing. Head to the Guru. He'll have some answers." Bentley said over the communicator. Murray did and exited the cave only to be stopped at the exit door.
Something was blocking it.
"OPEN UP!" Murray yelled as he unleashed a ferocious punch opening the door and sending the spring launch blocking his way down the cliff. Now unhindered, he
moved towards the stockade and was met by the Guru.
"I have returned my master. The black water now runs clear! I'd like to… I am asking… aw, man!" Murray said.
"To be released from your training?" the Guru asked.
"Yeah! I want to join up back with my friends… and, uh, we were hoping you'd come along too?" Murray said.
"Really now?" the Guru asked.
"You'd love it in the gang, we have all kinds of fun." Murray said.
"Maybe so. But we must deal with the problems here first." the Guru said.
"Miners, gyrocopters, and the Mask of Dark Earth, yeah that's a lot to deal with. But we'll help you I promise." Murray said.
"Thank you Murray. I'm glad to see you after so long." the Guru said.
"Thanks Guru… I'm happy to see you too." Murray said as he headed back to the Safe House.
"I'm on my way back Bentley." Murray said.
"Hang on Murray I have a special job for you. Meet Sly and Neyla by the Big Truck." Bentley said over the communicator. Murray did as he was told and headed
towards the truck. When he arrived he saw Sly and Neyla on top of the truck.
"There you are big guy." Neyla said.
"What's going on?" Murray asked.
"It's time to motor out to Ayers Rock and scare off some mining dingoes. Your Guru wants it "purified"" Sly said tossing the keys to the hippo.
"Awesome! This is the biggest truck I've ever gotten to drive! I could crush HOUSES with this baby!" Murray said. Then the trio entered the enormous vehicle and
head out to Ayers Rock. His inner daredevil awakened Murray made a dramatic entrance into Ayers Rock by driving off a cliff. Then once on solid ground he moved the
truck to the center of the formation into a large pool of water and next to the oil rig. Once he parked Sly and Neyla exited the truck and headed to the top. Then Sly
took out his binocucom.
"I have an idea on how we might drive the miners out of Ayers Rock. But for my plan to work we'll need to force the drill on this rig deeper into the ground." Bentley
said.
"Okay Bentley you've got our interest. Though it looks like we'll have to take care of a few guards to get at the controls." Sly said.
"Defeat the guards and start the drill, then Murray can begin phase two of my plan." Bentley said. Sly nodded then put the device away. Then he and Neyla took out
the guards and switched the drill on. Once the drill started, Bentley talked to Murray.
"Alright Murray, the sonic vibrations caused by that drill should drive the giant scorpions in the area to the surface. If we can catch enough red soldier scorpions,
releasing them into Ayers Rock is sure to push out the miners." Bentley said.
"Sounds like a job for the Murray! One question though- how do I catch scorpions with a truck?" Murray asked. Then Bentley explained to him how to use the truck's
brake to his advantage. In addition he warned him to be careful with his tires, that they would heat up quickly in the hot sand and to cool them down by using the
water or running over scorpions.
"And remember we're only interested in the red soldier scorpions. The blue worker scorpions won't scare the miners off." Bentley said. Once he had his orders he was
off. It took him a while to get used to the controls but he was eventually able to start trapping scorpions.
"I've seen a lot of things in my day but never anything quite like this." Sly said as they watched Murray constantly flip the truck over to catch scorpions.
"I agree." Neyla said as she relieved the passed out guards of their loot. Then suddenly their communicators went off.
"Guys we have a problem. I'm detecting a drop in underground movement. I need one of you to climb to the top of the tower and override the depth control for the
drill." Bentley said.
"I'll take care of it." Neyla said earning a look from Sly.
"You sure?" Sly asked. Neyla answered him with a reassuring kiss.
"I'm sure Sly." Neyla said. Then she began her climb up the drill tower. Sly couldn't help but feel proud. Neyla had come a long way since their reunion back in Paris.
And he had to admit since Venice he and her have been getting closer each passing day. He sat back as he watched Neyla work her way to the top of the drill. Once
she was up there she pulled the lever and Sly heard the drill dig even deeper into the ground. Then they heard Bentley speak over their communicators.
"It's working! Wait a minute… it's draining the water around the tower! Murray looks like you'll have to rely on crushing scorpions to cool your tires from here on out!"
Bentley said in frustration.
"No problem Bentley. I totally got the hang of it now." Murray said as he started driving after the scorpions. Neyla then jumped down landing right next to Sly without
him noticing.
"BOO!" Neyla yelled causing Sly to jump with a start. Neyla then started to laugh earning a glare from Sly.
"Not funny." Sly said.
"I'm sorry I couldn't resist." Neyla said which oddly earned a chuckle from Sly.
"I'd probably would've done the same thing." Sly said getting a smile from Neyla. Then suddenly her smile turned into a very seductive grin.
"Did you enjoy the view during my climb?" Neyla asked earning a deep blush from the raccoon. Then Neyla uncoiled her whip, grabbed both ends with her hands and
put it behind his neck. Then she pulled him closer to her till they were nearly nose to caused Sly's blush to intensify.
"Well… don't leave a lady hanging." Neyla said. Sly was rendered completely speechless. He had never seen this side of her before. Seeing him look so stunned made
Neyla giggle.
"You really are cute when you look so lost." Neyla said as she was about to pull Sly into a deep kiss, but were soon interrupted by a large amount of screaming. They
both looked down and saw several mining dingoes running for their lives.
"Looks like Murray pulled it off." Sly said. Neyla let out a disappointed sigh at being interrupted yet again. Soon Murray brought the truck over to the oil rig to pick
them up. Once they were on board they headed back to the mining camp.
Well guys there you have it! Again I hope I didn't disappoint. Also if you like my fan fiction I encourage you guys to get out there and write some of
your own. As a friend of mine once brought up, fics like these are super rare. Also if you want to show some support leave a Review or even shoot
me a PM. Well guys I think that's all I have to say for now. Till next time!