Disclaimer: I do not own Sly Cooper or any other character from the Sly Cooper games. The only characters I own are Cedric, Hugo, Grace and any other OCs I throw into the mix. Kajiyama is the name of a real leader of the yakuza and as such, I take no credit for him.
Author's note: Thank you for all your great reviews, as this is my first fic, I appreciate any and all suggestions, just be polite! Also, the character contest is still going on so, if you have any characters you have made, please send them in (anthropomorphs only though (no humans)). The top two characters will be used as the creator sees fit and I will keep no claim to the characters. Thanks to those who have sent in characters. Unfortunately, only four people have entered so far. If you don't want everyone else to see your character, you can PM me. Please send any characters you created and like in. Thank you.
P.S. For those who read this, this chapter is a special extra-long one for the loyal readers.
Bloodlines
When Cedric woke up he saw he was back in the hotel that they had used as a command post. Throughout the room, the others, except for Hugo, watched him closely.
Sitting up, Cedric asked "Which truck ran me over?"
"You're out of shape Cedric. Used to be you could do what you did last night and only be a little out of breath," said Hugo.
"I didn't know I would ever need to do that again. But, yes, it has been to long," agreed Cedric.
"Personally," cut in Sly, "I'm sure I speak for all of us when I think you owe us an explanation."
"True enough," said Cedric, "What happened last night was a metaphysical overload across the interspatial continuum, causing a massive overload in the psychotropic explosion of the nearby temporospatial claudications." Staring at Sly's and Carmelita's blank faces, he knew they hadn't understood any of this. Strangely, Bentley and Penelope looked as if they had understood completely.
"So the extradimensional focus caused an internal release of the psychotropic energy?" asked Bentley.
"Yeah, you know the theory?" said Cedric amazed. Very few people these days understood psychotropic or claudical theory. However, the fact that these two understood would make it easier to explain to Sly and Carmelita.
"Could you simplify that please?" asked Carmelita annoyed. She did not like it when people talked about things that she couldn't even follow.
"In a nutshell," said Bentley, "He experienced an overload of magical energy due to his fury and the buildup of magic over the years."
"Magic! Then you're like Mz. Ruby, a Voodoo master, or the Guru, a Dreamtime master?"asked Sly.
"There are many kinds of magic. Briefly, there are the four elemental magics, Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind, and then there is Dark magic and Light magic. Dreamtime is a form of Light while Voodoo is a form of Dark. I am a master of Fire magic and have some skill with Light magic," answered Cedric
"So what you did last night was just an overload of magic?" asked Carmelita.
"Embarrassingly, yes. I haven't used my magic in a while so I ended up using way to much when I called for just a little."
"Just wondering, but isn't magic a reflection of the soul of the wielder?" asked Carmelita, remembering the other magic wielders he had met before. "I mean, each time I've met someone with magic, their abilities seem to suit them completely. I mean, the Guru uses Light and Mz. Ruby used Dark and the Guru helped out Sly and Mz. Ruby tried to kill all of us. So, doesn't magic affect the person's inclination towards good or evil?"
"That kind of thinking is what caused the Crusades," grumbled Hugo, "I use dark magic and you don't see me murdering innocents."
"What he means is that what you just said Carmelita, is a common misconception that is unfortunately still held by most religious followings except Hinduism and Buddhism. Christianity, Judaism, and many others are all led by Light users. Islam used to have equal groups, Light and Dark users as their leaders, until the crusades wiped out their last master of Dark magic. With no one to teach it, they lost its' use. Most priests and religious leaders these days are masters of Light magic. The Catholic Pope is one of them, as are many bishops and cardinals."
"But then aren't light magic users mostly good people?" inquired Carmelita. This hole night had been one of surprises, from her using techniques from the Thievius Raccoonus, to Cedric's healing Grace and blasting Kajiyama.
"You know of Saddam Hussain and Osama Bin Laden right?" asked Cedric.
"Of course. Everyone in all law enforcement agencies knows about them."
"Both are proficient Light magic users," laughed Hugo, "The reason they haven't found Bin Laden yet is he keeps using his magic to evade the people looking for him."
"That's impossible. No records..." Carmelita started.
"No records mention the Pope as a Light user. No records say the two of us use magic. No records say that most of what is written off as suicide attacks in Jerusalem are actually magicians blowing themselves up with magic," Hugo cut her off.
"But they've found evidence of bombs and other explosives," objected Carmelita. That the pope could use magic was one thing, but this was ridiculous.
"It's amazing what a good coverup team can do isn't it?" asked Hugo looking at Cedric. "In truth," he said to Carmelita, "Most non-magicians don't notice magic or explain it as things like gas explosions or avalanches. The rest is coverup done by the government. Remember how Bush said he attacked Iraq 'cause they had weans of mass destruction?"
"Yes. They still haven't found the nuclear warheads. Most people think he made them up."
"These days, 'weapons of mass destruction' and 'nuclear warheads' are used instead of the word 'magicians.' Can you see Bush standing up and telling the U.S. that they attacked Iraq because they had better magicians? They'd lock him up which, on second thought, might not be so bad. Any way, most people don't want to see or understand magic, so the fools don't. It actually makes it much easier for people like us," said Hugo almost pityingly.
"Then how do people get magical abilities?" asked Carmelita.
"Maybe you should ask your boyfriend," mocked Hugo.
Carmelita turned to face Sly who shrugged. He apparently didn't understand Hugo either.
"What Hugo means," explained Cedric, "Is that most magicians gain their power through bloodlines. The 'purer' the bloodline, the more power. Most royal families gained power thanks to their abilities. Most magicians these days are descended, though distantly, from these royal houses. The greater ones are the ones whose bloodlines are the most 'pure.' This happens just like how Sly gained the techniques of his ancestors. It's hereditary."
"If so, how did you become powerful enough to have that much magic?" asked Sly.
"Easy, I'm descended form both royal houses in Austria. My great-grandparents were from the different two houses. My power is the combination of the two houses' powers, both Light and Fire.