As the Commandos progressed through the jungle towards their destination, a sad realization came to them: they had no idea at all of what to do of themselves, now that they didn't have to serve Cortex anymore, and didn't want to anymore.
They didn't even know how or why they could think that now, since all they ever wanted or knew before finding themselves sold to the guarimpeiros was to do that, serve Cortex, then N.Gin, mindlessly...
Because of it, the trek became a grim, silent affair...

When, at lunch break, they bitterly admitted it, Aku Aku was taken of a intuition, and after asking Crash and Coco to keep an eye on the portal, flew (discreetly) to the Iron Island.
It became quickly clear to him that N.Gin was no longer there and had no longer been there for a long time.
And more importantly, he could see the ruins of the Cortex Vortex, clearly unused.
And unusable.
The thoughts the voodoo spirit had been filled with were starting to coalesce into an idea...

The uplifted groaned angrily when they learned that they could kiss the idea of an immediate revenge on N.Gin goodbye.
Anger left place to surprise when Aku Aku told them that he had an offer to propose them.
"An offer?" repeated Pinstripe. "What offer?"
"Not yet, I have to verify some things and make sure it is a good idea," replied the mask. "I'll say more at Muros."
Everyone wondered what he meant by this.

When they took on the road again in the afternoon, their curiosity over Aku Aku's offer took hold over their worries for their future, and they began feeling more optimistic and hopeful again.
The mood was lifted, and they began again chatting.
"We there yet?" asked Tiny.
"Normally yes," replied Coco.
"Normally?!"
"You should see some signs soon."
"Oh, okay."
"I can't wait, I'm really sick of walking," grumbled Kong.
"Amen to that," muttered Pinstripe. "Dingodile, could you stop whistling? You're breaking my concentration."
"What? You need to concentrate to walk?" snorted the hybrid.
"Yes, because I always check the road, I keep an eye open for traps or signs, I'm on the lookout for crap. And you should too, people."
"Why bother?" smiled Dingodile. "We're almost there, and I've got my not-so-little trick."
"Okay, but don't complain if we fall in an ambush," deadpanned the potoroo.
Suddenly, Aku Aku gasped in panic, hurriedly threw his human illusion on the Commandos, and moved the portal in a near bush.
"Hey, what the..."
"HALT!!" roared an unknown voice.
Its owner, a solidly built man, appeared suddenly on the road.
"Huh?!"
"This is an ambush! Ha ha!"
"An ambush?!"
"See, told ya," snarked Pinstripe.
"Come on, losers, gimme your money," smirked smugly the man.
"I'll show you losers!" barked Kong as he advanced for a beating.
"NO, WAIT!!" yelled simultaneously Dingodile and Pinstripe.
"What now?!"
"You don't attack people like that!" hissed Coco from the bush.
"Oh, come on, he's an enemy!" protested the koala.
"Yeah, but wait a sec, let's try talking first, see what the hell he's doing here!"
"Come on, money, I'm waiting," spat the man.
"I mean, he looks like an idiot," commented Pinstripe.
"WHAT?!" yelped the man.
"Yeah, and he looks harmless," admitted Kong.
"HEY!!"
"And he's all alone," added Ripper, who was in savant mode.
"OI!!" yelled angrily the man. "Don't you know who I am?!"
"Well, no," deadpanned Tiny.
"We ain't from around here," explained Joe.
"And something tells me you're gonna have a bad day!" threatened Moe.
"HA! I'm Tarken, the terrible bandit!"
"Tarken?"
"The terrible bandit?"
"Lemme guess, you stalk this road and mug the people who take it?" snarked Pinstripe.
"Exactly!"
"Mate, either you've got big steel balls, either you're a dumbass," sneered Dingodile.
"The hell?!" yelped Tarken.
"Well, yeah, you're all alone, and we're eight."
"Twelve if we count the critters."
"Hah! I'm not alone!" laughed the bandit.
"Really?"
"Tarken is never alone! His men are hidden in the trees, invisible, ready to strike!"
"Really?" smirked Moe.
"Yeah, I have to admit, they're very invisible," sneered Joe.
"Enough talking! Give me your money!"
"Fuck you!" spat Tiny.
"Seriously, mate, get lost before it ends badly for you."
"But?! I am Tarken!"
"We know, change the record," snarked Pinstripe.
"Can I kick his ass now?" grumbled Kong.
"That'd be a bit overkill," commented Ripper.
"Yeah, even I could kick his teeth in," said Rilla.
Tarken, looking at what was for him eight humans, considered Rilla the weakest of the eight and smirked.
"Oh, you're proposing we settle this in a duel?"
"What?!" yelped the hybrid. "No! I..."
"En garde!" said the bandit as he unsheathed two vicious-looking daggers.
"Uh, go Kong, take care of him!" exclaimed Rilla.
"Sorry, no."
"WHAT?! You wanted to kick his ass!"
"That was before you challenged him. I'm not a kill stealer."
"I WAS TALKING WITHOUT THINKING!!" panicked the kangaroo-gorilla.
"Rilla, you survived the road like us," began Dingodile. "You..."
"Well, bring it!" gloated Tarken, interrupting.
"YOU, TWO SECS!! You faced the guarimpeiros, the natives like us! You're as good as us! You're gonna let that jackass scare you?"
"But you were there with me! That's a duel, I'll be all alone!"
"Precisely! That's your chance to prove to us and yourself you can handle it without us!"
Rilla hesitated.
"Presented like that... But I don't have a weapon, and he has these daggers!"
"Here."
Tiny gave Rilla a little tree he just uprooted. Little enough that Rilla could wield it like a two-handed mace, but big enough to outrange the daggers and do some mean damage.
"Come on, mate, go!"
"Yeah, kick his ass!"
At these encouragements and help, that he wasn't used to have, Rilla felt his last doubts weaken, and marched towards Tarken.
Tarken who wasn't feeling too big for his britches right now.
"Whoa, wait! That's unfair!"
This panic galvanized Rilla, who charged and began clobbering the bandit with his tree.
"Cut it out! OUCH!! I'm gonna - YEOW!! - call upon - ARGH!! - my men!"
This brought fear back in Rilla's heart, and he stopped.
"Don't listen to him!" yelled Pinstripe. "He surely has nobody under his orders!"
"Yes, it's a bluff!" agreed Ripper.
Rilla, comforted, began clobbering anew.
One minute later, Tarken was knocked out.
The five following minutes were spent on congratulating Rilla, who felt very good about himself, and mocking their enemy.
The Bandicoots' portal left its bush, Aku Aku dispelled his illusions, and the group, in a very good mood thanks to this amusing distraction, took back the road, leaving behind them a pathetic, broken, all alone mugger.

Art by  caseyljones
Original here: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/31476246/
Rilla Roo © Naughty Dog