Paris
I should probably start at the beginning.
The Paris skyline could be seen, with a lone figure standing on a rooftop.
My name is Sly. Sly Cooper
The figure, a raccoon, jumps from the building.
And I'm a thief. One that comes from a long line of thieves. You could say that thieving was the family business.
Sly smirked, watching the skyline, before eyeing a dimly lit room.
And, for a while, business was good.
He softly jumped down to the room.
However, for the past few years, I've been retired.
He quickly took off his mask, hiding it in a secret location on the balcony.
Having hung up my mask and my cane, I was enjoying my life on the other side of the law.
Sly put his cane against the wall as he turned to a couch, where a dim light highlighted a sleeping figure, a book hanging loosely from her hand. On the side table was her purse, which had a pair of handcuffs hanging out of it.
In the company of a certain lovely Interpol agent named Carmelita Fox. She and I had a history, which generally involved her trying to lock me up.
Sly gently took the book, placing it on the side table, before kissing her sleeping cheek and taking a seat on a nearby chair.
Sooo, I should mention that our current situation was only possible because she thought I had amnesia. I didn't.
We see Sly and Carmelita at a museum party.
It was great to finally enjoy each other's company without a shock pistol being involved, and we quickly put the past behind us.
Sly turned to an expensive glass casing, holding an antique. He smirked, leaning closely, raising a hand to touch the casing.
However, every once in awhile, the old urge would start to kick in.
Sly smirk fell, pulling back his hand. He recalled old memories.
I couldn't do that to her, though. After everything I've been through, I think I've had enough of thieving to last a lifetime.
Sly recalled his duel with Clockwerk.
Clockwerk. The most ancient enemy of my family. An owl who turned himself into a monster because of his jealousy of my family.
Sly recalled his battles against the Klaw Gang.
The Klaw Gang. Either misguided or delusional maniacs who tried to harness Clockwerks parts.
And his subsequent battle with Clock-La.
Who nearly brought the monster back to life.
Sly recalled Kaine Island, and Dr. M.
And Dr. M. Because of my father, M became a madman obsessed with my family's wealth, and was willing to destroy anyone who got in his way.
Sly put his hand down, giving a sad smile, before turning back to Carmelita.
That life…Isn't for me anymore.
The scene changes, showing Sly on a computer.
However, even if I left that life, I still get some tips from old friends.
We see Bently in a wheelchair, working in his lab.
Bentley, the old brains of the operation, had recently told me that my dad's old partner, Jim McSweeney, had broken out of prison.
We see a prison wall, and McSweeney punching out of it.
More than that, Bentley's contacts said that the man was heading to Paris, but didn't know why.
We see Sly, still at the computer, watching a highlight reel of a van in a proracing league. At the wheel was Murray, in the lead.
I had considered contacting Murray, the team's muscle, in case things went south.
Sly shook his head.
But I doubt that it'll come to that. What doesn't make sense is why McSweeney would break out. He said to me years ago that normal life wasn't for him, which is why he stayed in prison. For him to break out now…something big was going down.
We see Sly, standing on another rooftop, mask and cane on. He took out binoculars, and could see Carmelita getting on a cop motorcycle.
I don't know what McSweeney has planned. But I'm going to find out.
Sly leaps from the rooftop.
The screen goes black. Sytlistic words appear at the top.
SLY COOPER
The golden glint of the cane is brought into view. We see it cracking, revealing images of the past Coopers. From the cracks, green poisonous lines begin to form as chains wrapped around it. Sly's eyes could be seen in the darkness. Then, the poison slides down the cane, forming words along the wooden section.
A THIEF'S CURSE
Author's Notes: Bit of a surprise story, to be sure, what, with me focusing so much on RWBY content. However, much like Ratchet and Clank (of which I will eventually be circling around back to Huntress of Veldin, don't worry), Sly Cooper was one of my favorite series growing up (I'm a PS boy). However, my true appreciation for the series didn't really come about until the fourth game in the series, Thieves in Time. A rather…disappointing conclusion to the IP (since it seems clear a fifth game isn't coming). For a long time, I pondered why I felt like it was a bad game. Don't get me wrong, the game was good, but it didn't feel like a Sly Cooper game.
Then I discovered B-Mask's Sly Trilogy Retrospective series on youtube, and he NAILED what I loved about the Sly Trilogy. Each game had a narrative and thematic continuation from the previous game. Legacy I'll simplify this thematic story.
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus: The story of reclaiming your legacy.
Sly 2: Band of Thieves: The story of maintaining that legacy.
Sly 3: Honor among Thieves: The story of learning to let that legacy go.
When you look at the games as such, it's a wonderful story…that Thieves in Time just doesn't fit into. Sure, you get to go to the past, and see past Coopers, but the thematic tone formed from the past three games…isn't there. Now, I don't put all the blame on the developers of the game, they just weren't the team that made the original trilogy. However, for those that wanted a true fourth game, it fealt…almost hollow.
And that's where this story comes into play. This story is my idea for what a REAL fourth entry to the saga will be. And we'll be exploring that theme of legacy once again. However, this time, we aren't reclaiming it, or maintaining it, or letting it go…
This time, we'll learn the price of leaving that legacy behind. And whether or not you can handle that price.
As always, leave a review, fav/follow, and I'll see you next time.