//------------------------------//
// Frozen Peaks 
// Story: Dressed to Steal 
// by Tatsurou 
//------------------------------//

	The information we had on Panda King was...limited.  All we knew for sure was that he specialized in fireworks, and seemed to think talent should be valued above origin.  While I could certainly agree with those points, laying siege to those who'd snubbed you seemed an over the top way to deal with it...

Still, we were going to be amongst snow covered mountain peaks, and if not for the technique I'd learned to manipulate my body temperature, Dad would likely have bundled me up to the point I couldn't move, if he even let me leave the van.  Even so, he still insisted I switch to my fleece-lined thief vest, just in case.





As the van pulled to a halt at the end of a paved road up into the mountaintops, Sly leapt out, Coco once more clinging to his back.  As they made their way up the slope, they saw that 'Panda King' wasn't an empty title, as the first minion they encountered was a panda wielding kung fu against them, though it went down from a single tranq needle.  They continued up the slope, evading bomb filled snow boulders that some of the guarding minions rolled towards them, until they caught sight of a giant statue on a mountaintop.  A firework was launched from the top of it into a nearby mountaintop, causing an avalanche to fall on a village below, burying it in freezing snow.

"Coco, don't look-" Sly started to say.

"I already saw, Daddy," Coco replied softly.

Sly winced, unsure how he could explain this to her.

"I saw a bunch of empty buildings get buried in snow," Coco stated bluntly.  "I also saw the tracks of heavily loaded carriages that left the place not long ago.  Burying a village in snow is pretty bad, but whatever the reason, everyone was out with all their things before it happened."

Sly said nothing.  He supposed it was just Coco's nature at this point to try and see the best in those they were facing after what Mz. Ruby had said.  Still, he wasn't so certain he could do the same.

The pair continued to make their way up the mountain path towards the statue, trying to sneak around.  However, there were times where they had to set off fireworks in order to blast open new paths.  "Somehow, I doubt if we'll be able to catch Panda King off guard," Sly grumbled as that happened.

"Since when have we caught anyone off guard save with my presence?" Coco asked pointedly.

"...fair enough."

Careful maneuvering was required to make the way around a building at the edge of the cliff at one point in the path, as Coco still had difficulty managing a narrow embrasure on two legs with her back to a wall.  Thankfully, they found a solution by hooking their canes together and letting Coco hang from hers while Sly held his upside down as he sidled along.  This then allowed them to clear out the building and open a new path.

Inside the building was the vault, which Coco quickly popped open.  It contained the page from the Thievius Raccoonus covering Huckleberry Cooper's further development of Slytunkhamen's invisibility technique, allowing the invisibility to be maintained while moving once it was activated, as long as movement was slow and careful.  The pair memorized the technique before pocketing the page, then following the opened paths to reach the security gate.

For the first time, the first Treasure Key was not parked right in front of the gate it opened.  Instead, it lay at the end of a heavily guarded maze of paths around several pine trees.  Sly frowned as he plotted the paths of the guards to find a safe path through, but Coco tapped his shoulder.  "Throw me," she instructed, pointing towards the nearest pine tree.

Getting the idea, Sly grinned, lifted Coco into his hands, and threw her above the nearest tree.  Coco's Spire Jump allowed her to brace herself at the top of the tree, and her light weight meant the tree barely swayed in response, allowing her to silently leap from treetop to treetop to the Treasure Key.  Once she'd collected it, she reversed the movement to make her way back to Sly.  "Good job," Sly praised her as he took the Key, letting her climb back onto his back.

The security gate opened the path to the main stronghold, a massive fortress built atop a mountain peak and stretching out around it on all sides, precariously balanced to maintain equilibrium.  The pair were forced to hide frequently as they made their way forward, scouting out the initial terrain.  Once in, Bentley gave a run down of what he'd discovered.

"I think I've found a way to the top of that giant statue...but it's obstructed by that reinforced ceiling hatch," Bentley explained, remotely manipulating the direction of the Binoc-U-Coms to highlight the features he was talking about.

"Which we can destroy with those fireworks held in place with three Treasure Locks?" Coco asked, shifting to highlight them.

"That will probably work," Bentley observed.

"I don't think it will be that simple," Sly murmured softly.  "We've needed seven Keys every other time.  I doubt the pattern's going to be broken at this point."

"Then there's probably going to be something else we'll need once the ceiling hatch has been destroyed," Bentley concluded.  "For now, you should find any Treasure Keys you can."

"Just like we always do," Coco confirmed as they broke connection.

With that decided, the pair searched their surroundings, determining which way was the best to go first.  They had to be careful, but swift.  If they drew too much attention to their actions or took too long, there was every possibility the Panda King would turn his fireworks upon them, and bury them alive in snow.