Gamelover41592- Okay, looks like I have some things to explain. I made the gap between games longer to give everyone a bit more time to grow and because I refuse to believe that someone on a walkabout that started in the Australian Outback reached Venice, Italy in a year or so. I figured McSweeney would know a member of his old gang, so that's why I revealed Dr. M's secret first. Also where Dimitri is will be explained later.
Foxchick1- It was a very fun fight. It was weird, but fun. The Mask itself was pretty boring though. Really? A Mask? That's the best idea for a villain you could come up with?
Shadow Joestar- He's gonna to react in a pretty funny way
Time to get the next member of the Cooper Gang. I'm not gonna keep you any longer. Let's go!
Despite being happy that Murray had returned, the rest of the gang was quick to realize that his heart wasn't in it. He was clearly uncomfortable that he never got the Guru's permission to give up on his training. In order to cheer him up, Sly had come up with the idea to fly to Australia to talk to the Guru. Murray was all aboard with this plan. On the flight over, Murray had told the gang story after story about this Guru's mystical powers. He had such a mastery of the Dreamtime art that he could blend in with the environment and take control of the weak-minded. Sly had proposed the idea of the Guru joining the gang, as they needed a lot more power to break into the Cooper vault, which pleased Murray quite a bit. However, once they reached the outback, what they found was that a bunch of miners had set up shop and the Guru was nowhere to be found.
Job 1: Search for the Guru
After setting up a safe house, Duncan and Sly had been sent by Bentley and Murray to hunt the Guru down.
"My master spends most of his time up there in that cave, overlooking the valley and contemplating the depths of deepness. I really appreciate you breaking the news to him that I want to break off my training," Murray said. The cave was pretty high up, but nothing a Cooper couldn't handle.
"No problem pal, I'm looking forward to meeting him. Anybody you call 'master' must be a heck of a guy," Sly said while Duncan nodded.
"Oh, he's awesome! He'll get inside your head and freak you out six ways from Sunday!" Murray said.
"Uh... awesome!" Duncan replied unsurely.
"Awesome, yeah totally," Scruffy added, just as unsure as Duncan. (Yeah, totally awesome)
"Let's just get moving," Sly ordered. Sure enough, it wasn't hard to scale the cliffs at all. However, there was nothing in the cave.
"Looks like nobody is home," Duncan deadpanned.
"Got any other ideas where he might be?" Sly asked.
"Well...there's his hut. But he doesn't really hang out there on... account of the smell," Murray said sheepishly.
"Smell the?" Scruffy asked. (The smell?)
"It's a long story... I had to apologize up and down for like a month before he'd speak to me again," Murray explained.
"What'd you do?" Sly asked.
"The unspeakable, Sly... The un-speakable!" Murray said gravely.
"Thanks for speaking of it and giving me some really nasty mental images," Duncan deadpanned.
"We're headed for the hut," Sly said in the same tone as his son. Once again, it was an easy climb.
"Whoa, looks like a fight broke out here!" Duncan said once they reached the hut. It looked halfway destroyed.
"Miners the him did get?" Scruffy pointed out. (Did the miners get him?)
"You guys may be right. They'd come in and be all angry and yelling, and he'd be all peaceful, and they'd just get ticked. Then he'd try to find "a middle way," and they'd just go crazy and smash everything up, and then haul him off!" Murray deduced.
"Where do you think they might have taken him?" Sly asked.
"They got him! My master's a goner!" Murray wailed.
"Maybe we should have Uncle Bentley help?" Duncan offered. Murray wasn't in the best shape to think at the moment.
"Bentley, any ideas?" Sly asked.
"It's tough to say, but... given the layout of the miners camp, I'd venture a guess that they use that area with a high fence as a makeshift stockade," Bentley offered. Duncan looked at the area he was pointing out and thought he could see something in there.
"I think I see something!" Duncan cheered as he pointed to the area. Sly could see it as well and started trying to find a way up.
"Hmm, looks like there might be a way up using that cliff below. Shouldn't be a problem," Sly said.
"Just keep an eye out for that gyrocopter. I'm positive it's what gave away the Guru's position," Bentley warned them.
"Thanks Uncle Bentley," Duncan thanked him as he and Sly began their climb.
"These miners have no respect for the Aboriginal sacred sights! They're drilling into everything: Ayers Rock, Kings Canyon, Wave Rock... The cultural insensitivity is sickening!" Bentley said in disgust at one point. After a few more minutes, they had reached the stockade and a purple koala came over.
"You must be the Guru. We're good friends of Murray's. He's come asking to be released from his training," Sly said. The Guru replied. To anyone who the Guru wasn't talking to directly, it sounded like gibberish, but Sly and Duncan could both hear him clearly.
"Hmm, very well. However, I would like to speak to my student directly," The Guru explained.
"Okay, we'll just get you out of here and you talk to him," Duncan said.
"No! When I was captured, the miners took my walking staff and moonstone. They are what allow me to access my Dreamtime arts," The Guru replied.
"You really won't leave without your stuff?" Duncan asked.
"Yes. If it isn't too much to ask, I would also like to remove these miners for my land. This place is sacred to me. There are also...things here that they may have already unearthed that should have never been found again," The Guru said gravely.
"Yeah, I can see that the miners have really done a number on your land here. As for your walking staff and Moon Stone, me and my gang have a real talent for stealing back things that were wrongfully taken," Sly said cockily.
"Thank you, Sly and Duncan Cooper," The Guru said.
Job Complete
(I know I said I wasn't going to do all the slideshows, but this one explains somethings that will be important to the chapter)
After meeting the Guru on his own, Bentley had created a new slideshow.
"The Guru won't leave the stockade until he has his Walking Staff and his Moon Stone. He also insists that we purify Ayers Rock of all miners. Only then will the Dreamtime spirits be appeased, and the Guru will be free to use his powers. Sly must've impressed him in their conversation, because now he has requested that Murray and I meet with him individually. Something about judging our "Spiritual Centers." I've discovered a passage through one of the miners' caves that should make getting up to the Guru less difficult. He also mentioned that the miners had foolishly unearthed The Mask of Dark Earth. I guess it was his job to guard the thing, and now that it's out, bad things are sure to follow. Sounds like mumbo jumbo to me, but we've encountered some unexplainable phenomena over the years. So I'm not gonna rule it out as a threat to our operation," Bentley explained.
Job 2: Dark Caves
"After capturing the Guru, the dingoes confiscated his magic Walking Staff and Moon Stone. Without these objects, the Guru is powerless!" Bentley explained.
"There's probably hidden inside one of these caves. There's gonna be a ton of goons in there and it's not an obvious spot," Duncan said.
"I agree. The most likely candidate is this mine shaft. It appears to have the highest number of workers coming in and out," Bentley explained.
"On we're it!" Scruffy said. (We're on it!). Once they were at the cave entrance, Bentley chimed in again.
"Those caves are gonna be dark. Your optimizer goggles will make navigation easier," He said.
"Got it!" Duncan said as he placed his binocucom over his eyes, making sure the strap was tight around his head before activating the goggles feature starting across the cave. Sure enough, it was pretty dark, but thanks to the goggles, he could see clearly.
"If they're here, the Guru's items will be stashed at the far end of this cave," Bentley said once Duncan was instead.
"Jewels pretty!" Scruffy said as he looked at the cave walls. (Pretty jewels)
"I'm not into tearing up the environment or anything, but these caves are rich with opals. I can see why these miners are so driven," Bentley said. Duncan noticed that a few had fallen onto the platforms and slipped them into his pocket.
"I'm sure they won't mind if we take a few," Duncan said as he continued until he reached Moon Stone. "Time to take you back to your rightful owner," However, as soon as Duncan grabbed it, it started beeping.
"A trap it's!" Scruffy panicked. (It's a trap!)
"I've heard Uncle Bentley talk about these kinds of bombs! If I can get back outside, they should power down," Duncan explained to Scruffy as he rushed out of the cave. Sure enough, as soon as the sun was on the bomb, it powered down.
"The Guru's Walking Staff must be hidden in their other cave complex. I've marked the entrance in your binocucom,"
"Have probably bomb another," Scruffy said under his breath. (Probably have another bomb)
"No kidding," Duncan said as he walked into the next cave.
"These caves have no ambient light whatsoever! Fortunately, it seems the Guru's Moon Stone is providing enough illumination to let you see. Watch your step, these mine pits are deep!" Bentley warned. Despite the stone being pretty bright, Duncan put the optimizer goggles back on, just to be safe. Once again, the item needed was at the other end of the cave. And once again, there was a bomb on the item
"How paranoid are these guys!?" Duncan ranted. "This is a stick!" Behind him, some dingoes appeared to stop Duncan. "And they're right behind me,"
"Got I this," Scruffy said as he started firing knockout darts at all the guards, letting Duncan make a clean break for the exit.
Job Complete
Job 3: Big Truck
"Whoa! Look at the size of those scorpions!" Duncan said as he looked out of the window of the massive truck he was riding in. For the mission to free the Guru, they needed to "purify" Ayers Rock. Bentley had come up with the idea of using the truck to capture giant scorpions to chase the miners out using the giant truck, which could do a forward flip. First Sly had to use a drill to get them to come out from underground. However, Murray also had to run over scorpions(thankfully, the blue type were useless for the plan, so they could be run over to spare the red ones) or drive through water to keep the tires from melting.
"They are called giant scorpions for a reason," Bentley pointed as Murray flipped the truck again, catching two more and bringing the total up to eight. "Murray, Duncan, hang tough for a minute. My sensors are showing a drop off in underground movement. We'll have to drill deeper to keep the scorpions coming out. Sly, you'll have to climb to the top of the drill tower and override the depth control system,"
"Okay Bentley. I'm on my way," Sly said as he began his trek up the top of the tower. Within a few minutes, the drill went deeper.
"It's working!" Bentley cheered as more scorpions poured out. However, he stopped cheering when he saw that drilling deeper had a negative side effect. "Wait a minute, it's draining the water around the tower! Murray, you'll have to rely on squishing scorpions to keep your tires cool from here on out!"
"No problem Bentley. I totally got the hang of it now," Murray said confidently. Sure enough, he did and they had twenty scorpions
"Great job Murray. Now back that truck full of scorpions up to the mine and deliver that not-so-friendly payload," Bentley ordered. Sly jumped into the truck and they drove over to the mine, where Murray dropped off the scorpions, sending the guards running.
Job Complete
"I would like to thank you all for your assistance with freeing me, as well as purifying the land. However, I will only assist you if you help me rid this land of both the miners and the Mask of Dark Earth," The Guru said once he was back at the safe house. Murray had seen the Mask on a guard when he was heading to talk to the Guru, confirming it was a threat in the gang and the land. Naturally, Bentley had prepped a slideshow.
"The Guru has agreed to join our team! Provided we can rid his homeland of the dingo miners and deal with the Mask of Dark Earth. A tall order, but we're up for it. First we'll enlist the aid of some local wildlife to help "thin" out the miners ranks. Murray will feed our foes to a local giant crocodile. With some luck he'll take a liking to the taste of miners, and chow down on them left and right! Second, we'll hit these guys where they live. Or at least relax. If we can clear' em out of this lemonade bar, it'll be a crippling blow to their morale. They'll be begging to go home. And finally, Sly'll use some mining equipment to drill for radioactive oil deep beneath the dried lakebed. Trust me, it's the key to getting rid of the Mask of Dark Earth," Bentley explained. The Guru just looked confused at the technology that Bentley was using
Job 4: The Claw(If you didn't say this like the Toy Story aliens, something is wrong with you)
"I am one the only this who thought bad was idea a?" Scruffy asked once they arrived at the oil fields. (Am I the only one who thought this was a bad idea?)
"Well, too late now," Duncan replied. The main problem Scruffy had was that they were mining for radioactive oil with no real safety equipment.
"Sly, Duncan, phase 1 is to protect these power stations while Murray gets all six oil wells flowing. Use this SuperClaw 10,000 to deal with any miners that might show up," Bentley ordered, causing Duncan to focus on what they had to do. Sly moved the crane, while Duncan picked up and dropped objects with it.
"Face it, Bentley. We're naturals," Sly bragged.
"Hope you're right 'cause it looks like the miners are onto us. Defend the power stations by using everything and anything in the oil fields. This electric fence should come in especially handy for dispatching guards. Here they come!" Bentley said. As Murray worked to get the oil flowing, Sly and Duncan took out the guards in any way they could, whether it was tossing them into the electric fence, dropping rocks or explosives on them, or dropping them into a pit. With their support, Murray was able get the valves flowing and get the uranium needed into it.
"Sly! Duncan! Guys, look at me! I'm glowing! Whoo!" Murray cheered as he gleefully covered himself in the glowing oil.
"The guru can get rid of any nasty stuff in Uncle Murray right?" Duncan asked as he put on a hazmat suit that was in the crane. Apparently the miners knew about the radioactive elements.
"Let's hope," Sly said as he put on a suit of his own.
Job Complete
"You can feel it in the air, the miners are about to pack it in! In fact they'd probably already be long gone if it weren't for the corrupting influence of the Mask of Dark Earth. It's clear we need to destroy it. Time for Operation: Moon Crash! To start things off, we'll need the Guru to take out the gyrocopter. With it gone, we'll have clear skies for phase 2. Now according to Aboriginal folklore, the Mask of Dark Earth is the sworn enemy of the Moon Spirit. So 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 his ancient foe and come running. That's when we'll strike! Murray, Thunder Flop off the crane and obliterate that Mask! With the Mask destroyed and the miners run off, the Guru we'll be free to join the team for the Cooper vault job!" Bentley explained with yet another trademark slideshow.
"Let us purify this sacred land," The Guru said.
"What. The. Fuck," Duncan said, not even caring that Sly would yell at him for cursing later. When Murray was dropped on the guard wearing the mask, it flew off and latched onto Carmelita, who had turned up to investigate an illegal mining operation. While she chased after Sly and Duncan, Bentley had tried to subdue her with some sleep darts. Instead, the chemicals mixed with Mask's powers and turned Carmelita into a giant.
"Indeed," The Guru said as everyone raced for the big truck. Murray pulled out and quickly sped off, Carmelita hot on their tails. She tried to stop the truck by using dynamite from a truck, but with the help of a convenient crane on the truck, Duncan was able to toss the dynamite back at her. Finally, they stopped in a nearby canyon, just in time for Carmelita's man to show up.
"She's too huge! We can outrun her in the truck," Murray panicked.
"The Mask will only grow her body the more we press an attack," The Guru revealed.
"This is bad! We need a new strategy and fast. Force just isn't working," Bentley
"Time to stop running and deal with the real problem. Pry off that Mask of Dark Earth, and maybe we'll get back the Carmelita we all know and love," Sly said.
"I liked mom better when she was tiny! And not possessed by an evil mask," Duncan added.
"You're the climber... and I'm sure you've always wanted to get closer to her. Can't get much closer than climbing up her boot laces," Bentley said. Duncan knew this was going to be very awkward for him.
"That's not a crazy idea," Sly said.
"Oh yeah, it's totally crazy," Murray countered.
"You have a better idea, Uncle Murray?" Duncan asked.
"Yeah, but we'll need a giant fighting robot," Murray replied.
"Sorry, gonna have to go with the boot lace plan," Sly said as he started to run towards the Carmelita.
"The giant robot would be pretty cool though," Duncan said as she chased after Sly. Each of them took a different side of Carmelita, Sly on the right, Duncan on the left.
"So this wrong is!" Scruffy groaned as he buried his face in his legs. (This is so wrong!)
"Took the words right out of my mouth," Duncan said. Sly had just gotten his side of the mask off and had jumped off. Duncan quickly followed suit. The Mask of Dark Earth fell off Carmelita's face, causing her to shrink down. Her mercenaries started shooting at the mask, causing it to explode.
Sorry this took so long! School has been busy! Anyways, this was always one of my favorite missions in Sly 3, with jobs like Lemonade Rage(Not featured in this fic although it was really close to getting in), Hungry Croc(Murray Mission)and Operation Moon-Crash being a lot of fun. The boss fight was pretty cool too, even if it was really really stupid. The biggest problem was the Mask of Dark Earth. Was this really the best villain they could come up with? A mask? Lame. As for Guru, while I'm peeved that they never put subtitles so we could understand him, he was a pretty fun character. He had an interesting concept, a cool design, and I loved how they would show him being confused about the modern world in cutscenes-it was a cute touch. Next time, we are off to Holland for some dogfights with the Black Baron and recruit Penelope!