At long last.

The end.

The end of my journey.

The end of the Fiendish Five.

The end of my revenge.

I ran faster than I ever went before in my entire life. My legs were just on auto-pilot at this points. It didn't matter where rocks or holes laid on the ground, I arrived at my final destination. The Krack-Karov Volcano was the base of Clockwerk, the genius and leader behind the gang that stole my parent's life and their family code.

There were only a few pages short from the Codex. And Clockwerk had those pages grasped in his talons. And I fully intend to pry them from his cold, dead talons.

And I was alone. Not that mattered. The terrain was tougher than Bentley's little car or Murray's strength could handle. I was barely traversing it myself. The road itself almost didn't want me to finish, as if it was working alongside Clockwerk. The absolute heat in the air would have melted lesser men. The constant splashes of lava against the rocky road would have warded off the weaker challengers.

But I'm strong. And soon, all the people who wronged my family will have their names crossed off my list.

"CLOCKWERK!" I yelled to the dark skies above. "TODAY…IS THE DAY…WHERE THE GRIM REAPER PUTS YOU DOWN!"

I cackled. I didn't care I gave my position away to the entire world. The world? The world was mine. After this, the Cooper name would be restored to full glory and all those who dared to prey upon anything that can't fight back would suffer beyond full.

I would start a business. 'The Grey Sickle, notorious killer of the infamous Fiendish Five, will kill all who deserve it!' People would pay me in mountains to kill each other! I could play them as well, get them to up their ante until they broke the bank and I would be the only one to ride away and tell the tale.

I would have a family with Carmelita. Yeah. She would offer up a new lineage to the Cooper clan. We were only adopted brethren. No problem here. She had feelings for me. It's was obvious. She only wore the tight, sexy dresses when I was around. She swayed her hips at me. Bounced her breasts at me.

I realize I'm going slightly insane at this point. Talking to myself in short sentences. Shifting between topics at random. Can't help it. I'm just that excited.

"About time, Cooper." A metallic sounding voice boomed all over the volcano.

"Clockwerk!" I shouted into the empty skies. "Come out here and face me! Do the one thing your allies failed to do!"

"The one thing they failed to do was to kill you."

"That's a given!"

"You will not kill me." He sounded so certain of his victory when he should be expecting total defeat. "I've lived longer than all my former friends combined. My experience overshadows your entire existence."

"Keep boasting!" I shouted back. "It's only going to make your death all the more ironic!" A whirring sound came over ahead. I looked up and saw a helicopter video screen descend down.

"Sly Cooper." Again, the voice rang out. "While my fortress is armed to handle Armageddon and does in fact have a death ray, I prefer the much more subtle method of dealing with my enemies. Like for example, I've been watching you since Mesa City. I know you who really are. I know…about…her."

And the excitement died once I saw Carmelita's bounded and gaged body dangling from the ceiling.

"Yes, the vixen. One of the most beautiful women I ever seen in the ten thousand years I've been alive."

"Ten thousand…"

"Oh yes, and this isn't a lie. I've been following the Cooper line since the beginning of time. Since…Bharlagh." I winced. He pronounced perfectly the name of the first Cooper from the times long before civilization. "And for what? To watch the lowest life-forms attempt to evolve…if that's the proper word for it. All races kill another at one point for varying reasons, but you Coopers made it a profession. You treated the destruction of life like someone would tend to the harvest of fields to provide for his country."

I could have sworn, during a brief moment of silence, there came over the entire volcano a slight chuckle from the dead cold voice.

"You are not a reaper, nor his hand. You do not have the power to judge life and death. Likewise, I'm not a reaper. But I'm the devil. Immortal ruler and judge of the damned."

"And this is hell." I grumbled.

"Cerberus will meet you soon." And with that, the intercom crackled and went silent. And in it's place, the ground shook as something heavy drew closer to my location. It sounded like metallic, and walked on four legs.

And it breathed fire on my heels.

I jumped, and turned around to see the monster. Indeed, Cerberus lived up to it's namesake; giant three headed dog with spiked teeth, the previously mentioned flame breath, and pitch-black metal plated skin. While one head swung back and forth continuously laying waste with it's hot breath, the other two scanned the area to look for anything living.

I didn't have long. If one head spotted me, I would be fried. Not many ideas sprang to mind. Couldn't get too close to it. My scythe probably scratch the armor a bit, maybe even chip off some paint. It didn't take a genius that this fight was hopeless. After all, what's stopping Clockwerk from using Carmelita as a shield?

I had to move. Slowly, but to make good progress. Dive from boulder to boulder to avoid detection. The ultimate game of stealth. One wrong move and I won't have time to dwell on it. Again with the short sentences. If I don't calm down, I'll have a panic attack and die. And Clockwerk would laugh his ass off.

Hey.

Wait.

Clockwerk said something about a death ray. But I don't see anything…

There. Hidden about 2250 yards away was a door into the rock. Must be the entrance into Clockwerk's hideout. Now, to cross 2 ¼ football fields without getting any downs…and I'm running out of rocks to hide behind.

"If you don't move in the next fifteen seconds…" The voice of the monster came over ahead. "…I will direct Cerberus manually to your location. Continue the game Cooper!" And the sound of a clock ticking down replaced his voice. Two ticks went by fast.

Remaining calm became impossible. I just started out here and now I was falling apart. I darted my head around and around to look for anything that could buy me even one second. Anything. Anything.

With only three ticks left, and the only plan that laid ahead of me would be even more dangerous. Once the monster's massive claw destroyed the boulder, I jumped into the lake.

And ran across it.

I only had tiny rocks to skip across, and if the lake churned just a bit, I would melt into nothing. I couldn't afford to look back to see if Cerberus could follow me across the lake or fire anything at me. At this point, I was on autopilot. Just skimming across a lake of molten lava.

Once dry and safe land was in sight, I leapt over and rolled to safety. My cloak got ripped and it drifted into the lake, while my body endured several bruises.

As I wearily got up, my eyes shot open in terror as Cerberus was striding over to me. It treated the lava like a wadding pool. Of course Clockwerk would lava-proof his demons. There truly was no escape.

But I still tried. Pulling myself forward with both hands, I dashed towards the door with all the energy I had left. The tremors were getting louder by the second. I overextended myself just to widen the gap between us.

And the door opened and I tumbled in.

As I faded into the darkness, I could hear the mocking laugh of Clockwerk.

Something cold landed on my head, waking me up. I woke up like one did from a nightmare; screaming and taking heavy breaths. Even inside, the place still burned my body. What could possibly be cold enough to send shivers down my spine?

Oh. Water. A pipe had been cracked a bit. Obviously Clockwerk needed it to keep his machines cool enough to function inside of his volcano base. Swinging my scythe, I expanded the crack to let loose a stream of cool water. I opened my mouth and filled my belly with ice-cold liquid. I felt a bit sloshy, but overall I felt better now that my body was cooled down after walking across a pool of lava.

Looking around, I was amazed to discover that I haven't been moved. There's the door I fell into; right behind me. In front of me laid the factory where Clockwerk worked on his weapons. I didn't know how long I was out. And I also didn't know if Clockwerk had anything set up in the meantime.

I took my time getting through the place. Not just because of the intense heat and trying to predict traps, but also to find about anything about Carmelita. Clockwerk will not harm her anymore. And, by god, if he already did, I wouldn't kill him. Oh no. He would left alive, just like Prometheus.

I darted through the factory, paying attention to nothing other than cameras and robotic guards. I didn't come this way to spend my time searching around for some random treasure. There's nothing here for me but my last act of revenge. I don't even remember what the place looked like. Probably red. Maybe orange.

My brain was wired shut. It could only focus on the goal and nothing else. Carmelita? I couldn't think of saving her. Not that all. If I did, Clockwerk would capture her in a second. Remove the main threat and then save the girl. Sorry, gal, but you have to fend for yourself until I finish the job. Of course, the other problem happened to be me. The Grey Sickle. Constable Cooper couldn't just appear in a secret volcano base and rescue her without drawing any attention. I kept my secret hidden for quite some time…

Wait. If I had plans to fully go into the Grey Sickle business, what would happen to Constable Cooper? Carmelita wouldn't marry the Grey Sickle. No way. And I had no plans on continuing to be the lawman. Monsters needed to be killed, not sent to jail to bide their time. And I wouldn't force her down this path. Guess I have some things to think about.

"Where are you going, Cooper?" Rang Clockwerk throughout the base.

"To you, of course." I replied, gritting through my teeth.

"Odd. You claim to going after me, but you're in the direction of your friend."

And there she was. In the next room laid a Carmelita banging against the bullet-proof glass cage. Even if she could escape, there happened to be lasers walls throughout the corridor. And these walls rotated and changed beams every second. There was no way for Carmelita to escape, and even to me, this would be a challenge.

After starring for a few seconds, a whooshing sound came from the right of me. I turned to see a huge metal wall slowly ascend up and reveal a passageway outside. If Clockwerk treated my mission like a game, this would lead me further up to where he was waiting. Or into the open and awaiting jaws of the beast.

"Your move." He called out.

Guess I wouldn't be getting that time to think things out. I looked forward to Carmelita. I take it that the glass obscured her vision outside, otherwise she might have switched attentions from being entrapped by a monster to the hero she had been chasing for the good part of two whole months. I switched over to the open wall, and saw nothing but more rocky pillars and volcano ash.

I took the best path. The one I chose before. Kill Clockwerk and then save Carmelita. Of course, Clockwerk probably had a plan set up for both occurrences. I just had to be ready for whatever he planned.

Cerberus couldn't climb up the cliff-face, thankfully. And it couldn't breathe fire that far up either, so it was a easy climb up the volcano. This turned out to be the easiest part of the whole thing. The heat was less intense the higher I went up, the volcano ash could be easily blocked out by a well-placed rag, and my spirits got lifted by seeing Cerberus trying to climb the wall, but just sliding back down.

As I approached the ring of the volcano, I got low and staid close to the mountain wall to avoid being detected by whatever Clockwerk had up here. As the path converged into the ring, I peeked above to see a huge tower with many pylons attached on the sides, with a huge laser cannon on top. That must be Clockwerk's death ray. As the cloud of ash covered above it, Clockwerk must use it to shoot down airplanes or something. There was a narrow path leading to it…

"No need to hide."

I turned around to see nothing but the dark skies. But I could have sworn…

"No need to run either. You're right where you belong." Again, I turned around and around to find whatever Clockwerk's voice was coming from. I was loosing my cool, and I blew my cover.

"Now, you wish to confront me?" His voice rang throughout my head. Maybe he do something to me while I was unconscious. But something else came to my ears. The sound of metal parts fluidly moving upwards the cliff. I turned to where the sound echoed from and pointed my scythe, ready for whatever came my way.

And I nearly cried out in terror. A flying metal demon came from the pits of hell, burning it's huge fiery glare into my skull. Clockwerk.

"You wish to kill this demon?" He asked. "Then please. Purge this mortal realm of me!"

He swooped with wings spread out wide and I ducked. He went over my entire body, completely covering me in shadows. Once the dim light returned, I jumped on top of the volcano and ran down the path to the death ray. Clockwerk was too big (and probably too thick) for me to cut down normally. At this point, the death ray or Cerberus were the only things that could seemly harm him, as long as he didn't proof his own body like with Cerberus.

A harrowing shriek shattered my eardrums, and my running turned into stumbling. Shaking my head and clearing my throat, I picked up the pace to avoid such a noise again. But the large shadow was starting to cover me again, this time at a creeping rate. Like he was toying with me; matching my speed.

No choice but to avoid the direct path. I swung my scythe into a stalagmite and swung myself onto the higher rocky ground. Less travelable than regular ground, but I didn't need to go anywhere. When Clockwerk swooped again, I ducked down and let my scythe dig into his talons and hung on for dear life.

He obviously planned on dipping me into lava, so I started to swing back and forth as fast as I could. I rolled into a ball as I jumped forth and got my scythe to dig into a area in between the metal sheets known as feathers. As he raised his wings to dive down, I again swung around the edge of the wing and landed on top.

Clockwerk reared back up; getting further and further away from the death ray tower. I had to dig into my scythe into his back to hold on, but my grip on the rod was getting uneven. My eyes watered as we picked up speed. He continued to fly diagonally slanted; all to prevent me from getting climbing up to his head and tearing out a eye.

He started to make his way near where Cerberus waited. If it could, it would have smiled to see me again. Clockwerk turned sideways to let Cerberus gobble me up. I had no choice to drop down, and regained my balance to run underneath the beast. Again, the chase with the hell-dog resumed, but with his master blindsiding me every now and then.

It was the end. I traversed through this volcano only to return back where I started. My vision was getting blurry from weariness from the whole affair. My skin was coated in soot and felt like it was fire. My clothes were tattered and I was surprised it didn't catch fire already. A giant fire-breathing monster and a flying demon were coming in for kill. My legs stumbled and I fell onto the hard and hot ground. I tried to drag myself away, but a mighty paw pressed it's weight on me. Not enough to break anything, but enough to hurt me and keep me down.

"Sorry, crusader." Clockwerk gleamed. "But your little request for vengeance ends here." He landed on top of Cerberus. "Pity it had to end this way."

I tried to scream a retort. But nothing came out.

"See you in hell." Clockwerk said as the middle maw of Cerberus opened up to reveal the growing fire.

"NOT TODAY!"

A triumphant scream came from behind me. Two meaty hands took ahold of the paw and lifted it off so hard that the beast toppled along with his master. Clockwerk recovered and took flight, but as soon as he did, a missile around my size ran right into him, exploding.

"DIRECT HIT!"

I started to regain my own balance and got up, slowly starting to recognize the voices. Murray had given the cry for war while Bentley had fired the missile. As I looked behind me, I saw a blue van that stuck out like a sore thumb with a launcher with two more missiles ready to launch.

Murray picked me up with two fingers. "I GOT THIS! YOU NEED TO GET OVER THERE!" He pointed to the laser before roaring off towards the still struggling Cerberus. A mighty punch created a deep dent in the thing before it could get up.

Clockwerk darted through the cloud that resulted from the missile and headed towards me again. The other two missiles went over my head and made a path towards the demon. His eyes glowed a even darker red and beams made out of fiery energy and destroyed one missile, but the other one exploded in front of him. He roared, apparently as a fragment as entered one of his eyes. He turned around and headed to the death ray.

"Get into the launcher!" Bentley screamed.

"What?"

"I can send you to the death ray faster this way!" Bentley opened the tube wide enough to get in. "Come on! If he gets there first, he can destroy us in one shot!"

I had a hard time figuring things out. How did Bentley and Murray find me? Where did they get that van? And why are they trying to help me after they betrayed me back in China?

But still. I had a shortcut now. Provided Bentley didn't plan on betray me again and send me into a lava pool and try to take Clockwerk on his own. With little, yet quiet, hesitation I jumped into the tube. The tube locked and loaded me. After a quick countdown and a few rotations, I shot out at speeds I never experienced. I felt like I would implode in mid-air, or crash into a mountain wall.

Yet, Bentley was a fast thinker. He shot me near a pylon near the top platform of the death ray, giving me the chance to hook onto a pipe and carry my momentum to give me the boost to land safely onto the platform. I skidded a bit though, but still a safe landing. The controls were nearby, but I didn't see Clockwerk. Hopefully, I had some time to figure out the controls before…

"Do not worry. I won't kill your friends." His metallic voice rang around the area. "You used them for your needs. I'll give them whatever they want as they help me." The platform rocked as a giant wing cut a gash into one of the pylons. "As a matter of the fact, calling them your friends is the wrong word."

And there he flew. His eyes looked a bit damaged, but the murderous instincts were still apparent. And now, I had less room to run.

Me or him. Just how I wanted it.

"We have even ground now!" I cried out as I swung several times at his face, scratching the eyes even more. He dipped out of sight, giving me time to head to the controls and try to figure things out. It seemed to be a simple layout; two levers to move the gun on the axis, a computer screen meant to help aiming, a power gauge, (Dark, meaning it was offline.) and the fire switch under a locked cage. I flipped some other switches and the gauge started to flash. It would take some time for it to be filled, and then I need to aim it properly.

Of course, getting Clockwerk to stay in one place might take some smart thinking and good timing. And properly several wounds.

"Come on Cooper!" He screamed as his eye beams fired up and melted through the platform. I ran around the tower to make sure Clockwerk didn't destroy his own weapon. Hopefully, he didn't wise up to my plan. To buy time, I swung on top of the weapon and ran across it. As Clockwerk was coming up to get me, I again got on his back, but this time, closer to his head.

I dug my scythe point into his already damaged eye and twisted it around until I felt it come loose inside. With a mighty lift, I tore out the eye socket, and it fell out and disappeared into the lava below. Clockwerk leaned to the side and I leapt back onto the platform as my final enemy tired to regain his balance.

This was it. The death ray was fully charged, and Clockwerk was having problems keeping his flight steady. Using the levers and the computer, I aimed and locked onto the flying machine. And with a push of the switch, a loud burrowing noise came above me, with a giant red pulsating beam heading directly towards Clockwerk, hitting him dead on.

But he resisted, even though he had no way of controlling his flight without his eye. After steading himself, he pushed his body forward into the beam, moving at a good rate for someone being pushed back by a beam meant to kill all things. I started to move back as he got closer and closer.

Clockwerk opened his beak and bit down right into the laser, tearing off the nozzle with a turn of his head. The gun imploded, and the burning pieces rained down onto me. Several of the fragments landed on me, leaving burning marks and cutting my skin. I screamed out in pain, something that made Clockwerk laugh a little.

"I'll just make another one!" He yelled out loud, answering a question in my mind. "And you DARE think my own weapon can harm me!?"

The weapon teetered above me. The destruction of the weapon had weakened the supports. While he was laughing it off, I saw one of the damaged beam. With what little energy I had left, I swiped my scythe through the support, cleaving it through. Now the weapon platform started to lean to the side.

And with the last of my energy, I pushed the top part of the beam until the thing finally gave way and toppled onto the cackling flying machine, pinning him down and leading him down into the lava. I collapsed again, but this time I remained awake.

I couldn't move now. It took all my energy to slice and push the weapon onto Clockwerk. I was in no shape to do anything now. But I had WON. The worst thing alive…

"COOPER!"

Clockwerk emerged from the ocean of lava; the molten lava covering his entire body, and pouring out of his empty eye socket. AND HE'S STILL ALIVE?!

"YOU WILL NEVER BE RID OF ME!" Clockwerk proclaimed, as he slowly approached the platform as lava dripped onto it melting along the way. "I WILL LIVE FOREVER, AND YOUR FAMILY SHALL FADE!"

He roared again, this time from pain instead of rage. His entire body was surging with electricity…like a shot from a shock pistol. I turned to see the only person who would have one on hand.

"GET HIM!" Carmelita roared. I followed her order by holding my scythe with both hands and swung it like a axe. The scythe cleaved through the head, cutting off the top part clean off. Unable to hold himself together, Clockwerk groaned and descended into the ocean once again, but this time…he didn't come back up.

At long last. Dead.

"Hold it!" Carmelita said as she pistol hummed for a second shot. "Grey Sickle, you're under arrest for 2 counts of murder, 2 attempted murders, several assaults, severe property damage…"

"Hey!" I shouted back. "I just save…" I didn't get to finish my sentence as a shot glanced past my head. She loaded for the third shot.

"You didn't save me, your friends did." She said through gritted teeth. "I don't know how they managed to break out of jail…but I'm glad they did. I hate to see you die…brother."

Oh god.

"I can't believe I was stupid enough to believe you just happened to be traveling around the world at the same time that a assassin is killing off prominent criminals." She held her pistol straight forward as she started to approach me. "Of course…I thought I knew you as somebody nice. Apparently…you fooled your family."

"FAMILY!" I screeched. "THEY DIED!"

"JUST THE COOPERS!" She shoved the pistol into my face. "YOU HAD A FATHER AND MOTHER THAT LOVED YOU, AND YOU THINK OTHERWISE?!"

"S-shut u-p-p!" I retorted. Everything was coming apart. I had no future with Carmelita. I had no way to escape without harming her nor have the energy to do so. And I had no plan to take a dip into the lava. "You're not my family!" I finally regained my cool. "They died by the hands of their enemies, and I avenged them!"

"Revenge is the most worthiest cause." She grinned. "Remember? Your favorite movie. Camelot."

"I lied!" I shouted. "And this isn't revenge! I did the right thing!"

"SHUT UP!" She roared out loud, before I took advantage of her momentary distraction to shove the pistol out of her hand and fling it into the lava below. I shoved her down to the ground of the platform and jumped over her. With scythe firm in my hand, I again used it to swing from pylon to pylon, leaving a cursing Carmelita far behind me.

I had long since cleared the volcano by the time Bentley and Murray finished destroying Cerberus and came looking for me.

Really, I had no plans now. All I could was go forward and find something to do. The Fiendish Five were either dead or out of the way. I had accomplished my lifetime goal. What's next, really? Start up a murdering business? Retire and live alone for the rest of my life? The latter I had no interest in, but now that my identity was known by a respectable cop, so my business would attract customers. Who wants to hire a recognized assassin?

The fluttering of wings came from behind me. I rose my scythe to attack, but the only thing that was a small robotic owl carrying a white envelope. It flew above me and dropped the letter before flying away. I snatched the letter out of the air and opened it.

In all of this, I forgot the other thing I came for. The last Codex page! But why would Clockwerk deliver it to me? I felt a lump in my throat swell as I unfolded it and started to read it. While the rest of the Codex pages were old and tattered, this one was in good condition. After all, it was the page of my father's.

My family has long since lived by the code of the guilty monsters deserve death and innocent shall be spared of the scythe.

But that's the old ways, the ways that the rest of the world left behind years ago.

The monsters are less cut and clean. Many of the guilty souls nowadays are seeking the right things by doing the wrong things. The real monsters often get people to do their bidding for them against their will. And by killing them, you kill the innocent. No challenge, no honor and certainly no pleasure of hunting down and murdering a man who has been forced to steal to feed his family.

Our way of life has made this world a worse place. In our quest to right the wrongs of the world and bring the absolute justice…we have became the things we hunted down.

We have become the monsters.

Our cause can still be just. The later generations can learn from the past mistakes. Others will follow our old code and seek to kill us for our crimes, and we must protect others from the all-encompassing path of destruction that comes from revenge.

Thus, I declare our new code. "All life is precious at beginning. Only those who devalue their life are worthy of death. The scythe shall sever the head and not a leg. For the better of the world, we bring justice to the wicked and salvation to those lost."

My son, Sly. Hopefully my words shall encourage to take the family scythe and do right for all. Hopefully, the 'later generation' can be you. Understand this, and don't be disillusioned. We must do right. And I want you to do the right thing. Revenge has lead to so many deaths.

You're the rising sun to the future. Be well my little bandit.

There was no mistake. My old nickname given by my dad. Bandit.

I nearly dropped the page, but I safely placed it in my bag before continuing my walk. The grip of my scythe slacked, and I dragged it behind me. It tore a thin trench into the ground…but I didn't care.

Everything.

Everything I did was for naught.

Everything I did was for NOTHING.

You could argue that I had no idea. After all, Clockwerk had the page for over a century. But still, the very idea that you fight for someone who doesn't want to be fought for. Yes, Clockwerk and the rest of the Fiendish Five were evil and needed to be stopped, but look at all the damage I caused.

To make matters even worse, I even did the one thing to Murray that happened to me. I killed his parents, much like how Clockwerk did it to me. Bentley once had bright ideas and bright optimism and now became a gun-toting manic, given the missile launcher and launching me using it.

And Carmelita. Once my friend, and now my enemy.

All my energy was sapped from me. I just dragged my scythe behind me, not caring for anything.

So…it came to a end. My journey to avenge ended with me alone, and the world a lesser place to live in.

I just felt so old and tired. I didn't have it in me no more.

And my road just continued down a grey path with a end too far away to make it.