Ch32: Moonstones and Opal

Once I made it back to the Safehouse and Neyla and I explained what had happened after destroying the mask, worry was strewn across everyone's faces. Bentley started to sweat, Murray checked my hand to make sure it was still there, and Sly just hugged me like it was the worst thing ever. "Enough mushy goo goo crap," Neyla groaned after Sly hugged me.

"Oh... that's right," Bentley said, pulling out a small box from under the desk. "What's that?" I asked him, curious as to what it was. "Um... Carmelita sent it as a gift for destroying the mask... afterwards cussing about you..." "Yeah, yeah, I messed with the story line again. What else is new?" I frowned. "She said it's because you probably need to look better at the job... whatever that meant..."

I cautiously checked the box and heard Neyla trying to analyze the contents with her eye. "Hmm... it's just a buncha clothes..." she sighed. "Nothing dangerous, save for some weird taste in fashion..." I took the box and unwrapped it, now able to see what Neyla meant by 'weird fashion.'

It was clothes that had a bit of a mix between Dimitri's strange sense with thief wear meant for thieving. There was a shirt that had a turtle neck and colored a dark purple while the pants were red shorts with small, useless wings on them. "Heh. I guess Dimitri still misses the Klaww Gang..." I smirked, knowing the wings' shape matched the Klaww Gang's. Also, they were colored hot pink. There was also a single note.

Dear, S and N
I apologize for my actions in Venice... I just still have problems trying to cope with you guys being one in the same. Also, I heard from the others that you destroyed the mask... I'll probably curse high heaven about you not following the story... but I'm grateful. Lord knows I didn't want to be possessed. Also... these clothes aren't my gift. These are from Dimitri. So... yeah. I'm sure we'll see each other in China soon enough.
With Gratitude, Carmelita

"You weren't kidding when you said weird..." Sly frowned upon seeing the stuff. I smiled, however, just glad that Carmelita was being honest with me and Neyla. "I think I'll make some adjustments to the turtleneck... but I'll also keep the wings on the shorts... I think they're pretty." I smirked. "Fashionista you aren't," Bentley groaned when I said that. "I personally like the pink wings... y'know... cause..." "Because you were a member too?" Sly asked. "Hmph! Maybe," she scoffed.

I went into the bathroom shortly thereafter to change into my new clothes. It was then that I got a good look at myself in the mirror. Believe it or not, I hadn't noticed how different I looked with a large metallic owl eye implanted on my face. It looked cool, but the small scars lining my eyelids weren't.

"You really did a number on me back then, Neyla," I frowned, tracing one of the cuts with my finger. "Yeah... sorry about that..." "It's rare for you to apologize, you know?" "Yeah... I only do it when I know I did wrong and feel sorry for it."

I undressed from my old tattered dress that I hadn't washed since Venice and noticed that it WAS getting rather old and ratty. Nevertheless, I grabbed a single knife from the pantry that I hid and removed the turtleneck from the shirt, which was done with ease. I then put the clothes on and, to be honest, they looked pretty good on me. "Dimitri must've remembered my tastes..." Neyla exhaled, a bit of static in it. "And here I was thinking you didn't like him?" I smiled.

"That... was back then..." she frowned. "After hanging out with you guys for a year... I see why you tried to stop us... a world of trust is better than a world of hate and betrayal..." I smirked and petted the eye, which Neyla groaned upon. "Oh cut it out," I frowned. "We don't want it to get smudged after all..." "It makes me... feel funny when you rub it..." I chuckled at that.

After I reunited Murray with Guru, cleared a path for Bentley to climb up with the pressure box, AND destroyed the drills in the cave system that Murray should've entered, I was given the task of Moonstone retrieval and Sly and Murray got to go in the largest truck in the universe. (Seriously! Who allowed the miners to get a truck bigger than a house?)

When I entered the cave that housed the moonstone, I immediately noticed something... off about the miners nearby. I wasn't invisible, but I also noticed that they just let me walk on by. Ever since that little stunt I pulled, it's been like this. It's as if they either respected me or feared me. I had to ask. "If you're going to be scared of me and my friends being here crushing your production, why not attack?"

I asked this to a whip dingo who gulped when I spoke. The Clockwerk eye was able to light up the area around me somewhat so I could see his face. "Y-You're destroyin' productions?" he asked, somewhat confused and scared. "These rocks you're digging up? They hold very cultural importance to the people that live here. Heck, I don't even live here. I'm just a random passerby trying to help a citizen you guys captured."

"You mean that little koala man?" he asked. "He wants to protect this place and its sacred position with his people. And you guys come in here wanting to destroy every rock in sight just to get a quick buck. Heck, you could just be a tester for video game companies and you'd make more money than doing this shit!" I groaned.

"R-Really?" "Yeah. Take it from my eyeball friend," I frowned. "It can talk?" "Only because it houses an actual person, bastard," Neyla groaned, the eye turning red and flickering as she spoke. "That shit is spooky..." "Oh yeah, and you guys still have yet to send us a thank you gift. After all, we got rid of that mask for you. It could've hijacked your bodies and made you do things you didn't want to do."

"he-" I suddenly heard a single, tiny voice say. "Hm?" I asked, perking my ears up. I looked around, letting Neyla analyze the cave for who could've said that. "What are you-" "SSHH!" I hissed, making him shut up. I continued to scan when Neyla's scanners started beeping towards the area with the moonstone. "You guys didn't booby trap the moonstone did you?" I asked the dingo. "Heck no! That thing is just in a safe. Take it if you want!" he exclaimed. Those were the words I needed to hear.

After climbing my way up the area and surprising some guards with my quickness, I reached the moonstone, which wasn't even in the safe yet. It was in a glass case instead. I whacked the glass and picked up the stone after Neyla told me there was no traps on it. "He-" I heard the voice again, only louder. "You're hearing it too, right Neyla?" I asked. "Yeah... sounds like a girl..."

Neyla scanned again and then we heard the sound again. "Help..." It was crying out for help? I looked over to the wall of the cave and noticed that there was a single opal gem sticking out of the wall. And that was what Neyla's sensors went berserk on. "Hello?" I asked, unhooking the gem from the wall. "Help..." it said again. "The... mask... help..." "We destroyed the mask... didn't we?" I looked at the Opal closer, noticing a small trace of... something within. "It... it's gone?" asked the voice again. "It exploded when I burnt a laser right through it," Neyla smirked. 'We're officially nuts,' I thought. 'We're talking to a rock.' 'A rock that has some kind of life force in it.'

That was when a large flash of light burst from the opal and everyone in the cavern had to shield their eyes. I dropped the opal in the process, which I didn't care about. I cared for my remaining eye not being blinded. When I saw the light grow dimmer, I looked at where I dropped the gem. What I saw instead was something I didn't expect. It was a tall woman. She had on a dark shirt with stars on it, a short skirt of neon blue, and had a face of pure beauty.

It was then that I thought of who this was. It was briefly mentioned about how the mask of dark earth had a rival with a cosmic entity known as the 'moon spirit.' "A-Are you the moon spirit?" I gulped, trying not to be jealous of how pretty she looked. "I-I am... how'd you know?" she asked. I tried to regain my cool, but then she looked at my pocket, which held the moon stone. "Why do you have one of those?" she asked.

"It's not mine," I frowned. "I'm stealing it because it was wrongfully taken from the Guru... miss..." I gulped. "You steal for good causes? I never would've thought of that..." she gasped. "Um... listen... would you like to come back to the Safehouse with us? It's just... I didn't expect to find an actual goddess here..." "Of course. I'll give a special treat for your trapped friend as well..."

Her body glowed again as it had a bright light seep into the Clockwerk eye, Neyla gasping and then giving out a relaxed sigh. "What was that?" I asked. "Now she can be able to restore her powers for good rather than evil... just watch. You'll see in due time..."