Ch12: Chickens and Dancing
After Sly and I had gotten through the waterfall of body parts and the gauntlet with the plasma shooter, as I called it, we found ourselves soon going to the chicken pen. "With all the hay and feathers in here just looking at this place has me breaking out in hives... but we've got no choice," Bentley complained when we got there. We looked up and saw the ghost holding the last key.
"That ghost up there contacted me on specter wave radio and we've cut a deal. He's promised us a key if you guys can whack fifty chickens." I smiled. Anything that involved chickens getting beaten was funny, especially in a cartoon world like this. "I guess he needs them for a big pot of gumbo, but he's scared of the bomb-toting roosters. Be careful or they'll blow you to bits! Think you can do it?"
If there were ever a more dangerous mission I'd been waiting for, this would be it. Chicken slaying was the least of our worries. It's considered bad luck in my family's books to have a rooster chase after you. But I quickly shoved that thought aside as we entered the fray. (As well as tracking device number 30!) Then the madness commenced.
After we both whacked a total of at least 18 chickens, the roosters came out. I did just as I would in the game and led them to collide with each other, the feathers flying. Then we whacked another 12 until more roosters arrived, Sly now doing what I did. Another ten and it was my turn, the blast accidentally hitting the tip of my tail, singeing it slightly. I could tell Sly was worried, but we still persevered until we whacked all fifty, the ghost coughing up the key for us.
"You okay, Sylvia?" Sly asked when he saw the smoke on my tail. "Yeah... just got the fur so it doesn't hurt as much as you'd think." I smiled, telling him the truth. Once we left, we used the keys on the giant eggbeater for the ectoplasm soup and destroyed it and the guards. "Let's go battle a gator gal?" I asked with a grin. "You bet!" Sly smiled, both of us landing on the pressure plate, the force sending us the whole way into the giant dragon head.
When we landed, we saw Mz. Ruby's ugly mug from afar. I also had trouble looking at her if only for the fact she had a too-small shirt on and no pants. Not even a skirt! "Hmm... I could feel your Cooper vibe comin'... most distastefully bad juju." Mz. Ruby said like a stereotypical African American chick gone rogue. "Yeah well you give me the creeps too lady. Cooking up an army of ghosts doesn't seem like a very neighborly pastime," Sly frowned. "Oh Sly... I see your mouth movin' but all I hear is 'blah blah blah!' Well if jaws need to flap, then let them flap! See you in the next world, Sly and Sylvia!"
We then proceeded in getting to her, avoiding the teeth of the dragon trying to squash us as some music came in, just like in the game. After we made it to her, I knew where to go to throw her off. While Sly hit her with his cane, I grabbed him and did a VERY powerful leap, surprising Mz. Ruby as I came down and smashed my cane into the top of her toothy snout. "Ow! You'll pay fer that, kitten!" she growled, ready to slap me with her tail. little did she know, I had also found a little something while we were in the chicken room. Something I didn't expect to find but did anyways.
I held it up to her and her face turned to pure shock. "What?! Where'd you get that?! Give it back!" she exclaimed, fear in her eyes now. And fearful she should have been. I had a voodoo doll in my hand that was in Mz. Ruby's likeness. "Like I would do that!" I smiled, holding the doll with a iron grip. Mz. Ruby's body then started to groan and creak as if her bones were starting to get destroyed.
"I'll stop the pain if you can answer some questions, Mz. Ruby," I frowned, loosening the grip on the doll, but still holding the arms, legs, and tail down. "Whaddya wanna know?" she grimaced, actually complying with my reasoning. "How did Clockwerk get to my world?" Mz. Ruby kept her grimace on her face and scoffed. "He got there from my mojo magic," she growled. "I knew it. No way could he have killed my family without any help... who else helped him kill my kin?" I growled. "I only opened the way. Clockwerk did the rest... and I'm sure that he'll do the same to you as he did to them!"
She started to laugh again and I threw the doll in the air, Mz. Ruby flying up and when I didn't catch the doll, she collided with the ground in a crumpled heap. "Save it for the padded cell you'll be staying in!" yelled a voice I didn't expect to be here. "Carmelita. Didn't know you'd be here almost on time," I sighed, starting to lose my anger now as it reverted to depression. "You go ahead and find that page and I'll take her away... and Sly?" she smirked, looking directly at the raccoon. "This time I'll let you go. But next time, I won't hesitate to get you behind bars." "Point taken," Sly gulped.
Once we found the page for the invisibility trick, we all drove back home, skipping the beach and getting straight to work on the next caper. "Hey Murray?" I asked, looking over at the hippo playing with his paddle ball. "Yeah?" he asked, momentarily putting it down. "You know how I beat up all those bad guys, right?" "Yeah! You're awesome!"
I could only smile at him. "Well, what if I told you I'd be willing to give you some fighting lessons? I'm sure it could be useful later on." "Are you kidding? That'd be so cool!" he gleamed. "Well then," I smiled. "Once we've dealt with the Fiendish Five in their full glory, I'll train you to be the best fighter in the world!" "AWESOME!" I knew that it would be tough to train Murray, but if I was to get him in any shape for the upcoming adventures, I needed to train him. And what better way than by teaching him the very moves he'd use?