FIENDS FROM THE PAST
Job 10: By The Horn and The Feet
Sly emerges from the safe-house and grimaces; with all the water around, even their doorway is mud. He hasn't made it more than a few feet outside, splashing through knee-high water, before there's a commotion behind him.
It appears Slaigh has tunneled out another exit to the safe-house where a normal window might be. Carmelita kicks a piece of wood—it looks like a broken-off chair leg—into position as a support and waves him off.
Sly tips his hat at them both and gets out of the water, trying to stay on the rooftops and out of the stream. Almost no vampire terriers remain, though one can still be seen every three or four roofs; the zombie unicorns stay primarily by the beach or on the booby-trapped mountain path, where it's dry. Alligators now patrol the streets, or rather, the streams. Most times only eyes or a tail can be seen, but every now and then Sly spots one that hasn't submerged, waddling along, looking for its chance.
At least with all the water around any footprints he leaves get washed away before guards can notice them.
Not even this much water can wash away the deep wheel tracks Bentley leaves when he has to use his rocket boosters to move his chair, though. Sly grins as he follows them, locating the rest of his gang on the roof of the large building guards use for entertainment. Bentley's wearing a fur hat and fake snout, a tail dangling from behind his wheelchair. He looks like... well, like a turtle wearing a terrible dog costume, really. Murray's wearing his unicorn costume again.
"Have you figured out what competition we're entering?" Sly asks, glancing down at Bentley.
Bentley wrings out his handkerchief and sighs. "It's a teamwork competition, of sorts; you and I will be dressing like vampire terriers." Bentley passes Sly a guard uniform to put on as he continues to speak. "Every team starts with a cart and four balls. I'll be the person in the cart, our last line of defense, trying to protect the balls; that should disguise the wheelchair. Murray will be keeping everyone away from it; and you'll be stealing balls from other carts and putting them in mine."
"Sounds like fun." Sly pulls the guard shirt over his head. "At least it'll be dry in there."
"Most definitely," Bentley agrees.
"This is gonna be AWESOME!" shouts Murray, and with that, the three head inside.
It seems Bentley already signed the three of them up as a team, because as soon as the LOADING screen clears they're in the arena, with a cart in the center marked TRAINING and another team across the arena. "All right, Sly, we have a moment to practice," says Bentley. "Go over to that other cart and try to pickpocket what's in it."
As soon as Sly gets close a terrier pops up, his eyes wild, watching Sly.
"Wait for him to get distracted before you get closer," says Bentley, and it only takes a few seconds before the dog does, turning to look in another direction. Sly sneaks closer and pickpockets one of the balls inside, then darts back to Bentley—his wheelchair disguised as part of the cart—and drops the ball in. "Excellent! Now, do it again, but this time, don't get caught." A unicorn guard springs out of the floor and starts moving around. "Remember: each guard can only take out one thief at a time."
It takes Sly a few moments of maneuvering, but he manages to slip past the guard and get another ball. "Hey, this is kinda fun."
"The Murray approves!" yells Murray behind him, gleefully socking a nearby terrier in the jaw.
"Swell. Talk to me when you're done practicing, and we can start the real thing."
Sly doesn't really need to practice, of course, but he does anyway because of the tone in Bentley's voice. The tone that says 'I know you don't have to but yes, actually, you do' without actually using the words. The one that says exactly how stressed Bentley is over this whole affair, and his perceived failure earlier, when he didn't know Mizz Ruby was there and that she'd do that.
That's reason enough for him to spend some extra time making faces behind unicorn and terrier backs as he takes money from their pockets, as well as balls from their carts, and imitates them with a squeaky voice. Even if all it does is make Bentley groan and roll his eyes, Sly can tell it makes him feel better.
With that accomplished, it's time for the competition. Four teams, in a large circular arena, spread out in different sections to start, dozens upon dozens of unicorns cheering and booing from the sidelines, even some betting going on (the Cooper gang are the underdogs). As they wait for the signal, one unicorn cries out, "Hey, that's Murr! The sword fighter!"
Murray grins and waves. "Told ya I'd be back, Horny!"
"A hundred coins on Murr!" shouts Horny, to the laughs and jeers of the others. A countdown appears on screen: 3. 2. 1. STEAL!
And so, the three of them start kicking some tail. And stealing, and guarding, of course.
It is GREAT fun. The tournament takes place over three rounds, it seems, and by the time they get the trophies, well over a dozen unicorns are lining up to congratulate them... mainly because they won a ton of coins off their bets. "I knew ya could do it, Murr!" shouts one unicorn, making his way through the crowd towards them. "Ya got skills. What say I buy you lot a drink?"
"That sounds fine to me," says Bentley, adjusting his glasses. "Know what I wouldn't like to drink? The moat!"
The unicorn roars with laughter. "Or those cursed scoopers o' hers down in the crypts, in'it that right?" he says. "Between those and the candles in the ghost grave, it's a wonder we can get anything done around here!
JOB COMPLETE
Sly, Bentley, and Murray are steered off to a nearby booth, where Horny the Unicorn gets them each a tankard of sarsaparilla.
Available Jobs
Crackling Caverns
Ghost Code