Disclaimer: I OWN NOT THE WILD ARMS SERIES IN ANY MANNER. I just own the games...
Two years had passed since that fateful day on the Ark of Destiny...
"What have you done to our founder?!" The words echoed deeply in their memories. Sure it was just a case of wrong place, wrong time, but what else could they have done? Beatrice was the demon they practically worshiped and to say that she killed their founder...
Now days though, The four of them were very limited as to where they could and could not go. If there were people there whom they knew, they could be safe for the night. The Baskar Village was one of the safest places to be. The council rarely checked there for two main reasons...One, it was cultural land, barely affected by the outside world. Sure they had just as much water as everyone else, but the fact that they were still using an open flame to cook their meals instead of a stove proved to be quiet...different from what they were all used to. Two, Gallow's grandma was enough to shake them off on any given day. While she didn't like covering for her "irresponsible grandson", he was still her grandson and she cherished him enough to make sure he didn't go to jail anytime soon. Besides, with what happened with Shane, how could she deny the presence of a demon that could secretly kill people without others knowing?
Although they were safe in the village, Gallows wasn't very fond of hiding there. His fist slammed on a small table, "We should have explained everything to them! I'm sure they would have listened!!"
Virginia sighed. That's all she really could do to his reaction. Gallows wasn't enjoying this whole, "being wanted" thing too much. Nor was the rest of the group. "I know we could have told them." She said, "But I really don't think they would have believed us, no matter what we said..."
Gallows sulked down a bit, "I know, I know. I just get kind of rilled up when I realize we can't just 'walk out of town' like we used to." But Gallows wasn't alone on this. Everyone missed the days of wandering around for no reason, taking trains back and forth, and visiting all the towns freely. But those days were long gone...
"While we may not be able to adventure the way we used to, we do tend to see our families in longer intervals. We should be grateful for that." Clive added in, trying to see if he could balance the pros and cons of the situation.
"Family nothing! I hate this place!" Gallows retorted. Well no one could blame him. After all, he DID try to run away before.
"Well then let's go somewhere else then. I'm getting tired of hearing him complain." Jet sighed. They had been in the village for a little less than a week and Gallows was already throwing a fit.
"O-okay then." Virginia thought, "We can...go to Boot Hill tomorrow." She looked at Gallows, "Would that be fine?"
"I don't care, any place is better than this place. Except for jail of course." Gallows cheered up a bit at the thought of getting out of the Village. Jet was glad that Gallows would finally shut up.
Shane walked in with their dinner, and happen to over hear the conversation, "So you are leaving tomorrow brother?"
Gallows, "Yep." Gallows boasted, "We shouldn't be staying in one place too long anyway, and we have been staying here too long."
Jet snorted, "That isn't what you said at Humphrey's Peak when we said we were coming here."
Gallows gawked a bit, "W-Well you know, we had only been there five days, and Clives' daughter is still pretty young and all, so who doesn't enjoy some family time like that?"
As they ate dinner, they began to think of tomorrow's schedule. "Okay, so we should head out to shore, say about six o'clock." Virgina plotted. "We shouldn't have any problems there. It's once we are on the other side of the sea that bothers me." Virginia pondered aloud, "We don't want to be caught, but we have no idea if the council is in the area around Boot Hill."
Clive nodded in understanding. "I suggest we have one of us go on ahead as a scout? We could always borrow some clothing from here to change our appearance."
Virginia thought about it, "Okay! Sounds like a plan to me!" She then thought again, "So who do we send?" She looked around at her team mates. Gallows wouldn't look ANY DIFFRENT, so he was out. Clive could probably pull it off, but his glasses are more modern and would give him away. That left her or Jet. She looked closely at Jet, "Say Jet..."
"..." Jet didn't say a word. He just stared at her. Coldly and firmly.
"But I'm a resident there and it will give me away if people say my name!" She stood up and walked up to him. "Gallows is out for obvious reasons, and Clive's glasses are too modern to work with this society, so that leaves you!"
Jet really wished he was dreaming...
Shane stood up as well, "I have some spare clothing that just might fit you! I'll go get them right away!" Shane grabbed Jet's arm and pulled him down stairs. There were a few noises heard here and there and a few cries from Jet, but when all was said and done, they both came back up stairs. "It looks great!" Shane smiled.
Jet, on the other hand, was not amused. He glared at Virgina, "One day, you WILL regret this." He told her in a dreaded voice.
"Perfect!" Virginia ignored Jet's last threat completely.
"Are you even listening to me?" Jet yelled loudly at her.
The rest just laughed either at Jet, or the scenario, but either way, everyone but Jet was laughing.
It was now six am and they were setting off, saying good bye. Of course Gallows wasn't leaving without a good scolding from his grandma, but beyond that, it was fairly easy. At the shore, they looked over the sea of sand. Virginia had always wondered how all that sand used to be water. The very idea of it amazed her. "Okay!" She looked back at everyone, "Ready? And we're off!!" They all boarded on the sandcraft and settled down. When everyone was in their assigned positions, they took off from shore and started to head for Boot Hill.
Virginia usually dawdled around on the ship. It wasn't that she wasn't away from her post, in case they ran into a monster or two, but in the times where there were none, she was really bored. Jet had a book or two he would read while he was at his post. It wasn't much, just things that Clive had given to him for entertainment. Gallows would play his little guitar for fun. Sometimes he took a nap though, (which Virginia really advised him not to.) but he was usually woke up by everyone, so he really never got any sleep. Clive would look at files, records, and books and stuff, trying to get research done.
"Ahh!" Virginia whined a bit, "How much longer?" She asked her companions in a whiny tone.
"It should be no more than ten minutes." Clive said as he looked at a map on the screen.
"Oh.." Virginia slumped in her chair and banged her head on the counter. "Uhhhh..." She let out a strange sound almost as if she were trying to amuse herself with it.
When they reached land, Virgina was tempted to tell Jet that she would go on ahead instead of staying in the ship, but she could already tell how that would go...
"Are you out of your mind?! I get dressed up for this and when we finally get here, you want to leave because you're BORED? You should have thought about that last night!!" Yeah something along that line...
As Jet left around the area, he checked the city. No one around so far. He made it to Virginia's home and asked her uncle for any information on the Ark of Destiny. Once he was sure the area was safe, he headed back carefree.
"Okay, so no one from the Ark of Destiny is in this town. They are scheduled for an appearance here for awhile either." Jet eagerly reported, "So can I get back in my regular clothes now?!"
Virginia chuckled, "okay okay. But don't take too long. Anyone else need anything from the sandcraft?" She asked the Clive and Gallows. The two of them went inside to check and make sure.
As Virginia waited outside, she listened to the sounds outside. The birds, the wind, the train sounds in the area. They all melted together and made quiet a beautiful harmony.
It would about thirty minutes before they were all out and ready to go. "Let's head out everyone!" Virginia cheered they walked on foot to enjoy the weather of the day. The sun was shining and wind was blowing nicely. Virginia smiled and looked around, "We should be there soon!" She looked over at the train station and recalled on the way the four of them had all met. Of course, she met other people on that fateful day, but she would rather not think about that.
In Boot Hill, they all could rest peacefully. (now that Gallows had shut up.) They had really just been sitting around for the past three days, so Virginia thought it would be a good idea to go stretch their wings and go battling with a few monsters. No one objected, matter of a fact, they all agreed it sounded like some fun. Boot Hill was like on an island by itself, so no one would see them. Unless they got to the island via train. Which according to Virginia's uncle, it wouldn't be till 6:00 pm would it stop by, so chances of anyone finding them would be slim to none...
Virginia and everyone battled monster after monster. Sure they took little breaks, but they hadn't had the chance to have that much fun in quiet awhile, so they were, without a doubt, enjoying themselves.
As 6:00 pm rolled around, they began to think about heading back until they could be sure that no other drifters or bounty hunters were in the area, or worst, a council member. However, when another monster appeared before them, this fear was shortly forgotten. They would finally decided to head back at sun down.
As the tip top of the sun shined down over the horizon, the four walked back pumped up from todays exercise.(after all, the monsters here were a piece of cake compared to some that they have fought...) They felt at peace a bit. They managed to release a bit of stress from all this running today, and get their minds off things, so a good nights rest sounded good to them.
But not to a pair of eyes watching them...
Four disk soon covered the area they stood in and formed a barrier cage. "What the?!" Virginia felt her heart skip a beat. Were they just...captured?
A voice from the shadows rang out to them, "Virginia Maxwell, Clive Winslet, Gallows Caradine, and Jet Enduro. Wanted for the crime of murder against the late founder of The Ark of Destiny, Lamium." A female with a Parabellum Pistol in her right and emerged. In her other hand there was a piece of paper. "If found, please report to the Ark of Destiny for reward." She then folded the paper and placed it in her back pocket. Her hair was a reddish brown color and was wild all the way down to her shoulders. Clothing wise she wore a sleeveless jacket, (which from what the lighting of the barrier was given off, it seemed the sleeves were torn off.) with a normal T-shirt like shirt underneath. She wore what looked like over sized shorts or capris. But her belt was a bit odd looking because it had a mediocre size pouch attached to the back side of it. (her gun sleeve was on her right side as well.) "Well seeing how the Ark of Destiny is a CHARTIY business, there might be some value of a reward. They don't state how much, but bringing in all four of you should at least be worth a good 400,000 gella."
Virginia didn't know what to do. Obviously they had been captured but... "Who are you?! And what do you want?!"
The girl looked at Virginia with an empty glare, "My name is Kayla Morbent. I'm a bounty hunter who travels from place to place. I was a little worked up with the way things were back at home, so I took a break here. Of course, I just came for sightseeing and what a sight." She chuckled a bit.
Virginia was completely disheartened. Her family was here on this island and she was going to be taken away. She may never see them again!! She felt herself fall to the ground, trying to hold back her tears gradually. After all the precautions they took! One careless mistake and...
Kayla looked at Virginia. Being a girl, she could see why she would be scared at what was going on. "Heh...gotta tell ya. You have my respect. Most crooks I've caught would be pleading me to let them go by now..."
Virginia stood up. "Ahh...I'm not going to plead you let us go. After all, we are wanted criminals, right?"
Jet nodded, "We got ourselves into this mess, and we don't need excuses to hide it."
Kayla looked at them. "Determined bunch aren't you...then tell me Missy, why you cryin'?" She held her gun back up.
Virginia had two options. She could tell the truth and hope this Kayla girl would believe her...or lie and make up some sort of "it just surprised me" excuse. Virginia shook her head. "Lying wont do me any good here. It would be hard to believe that anyway. We are wanted criminals...but..." She stepped forward, "My family lives here...and we just came here to hide so that situations like these don't happen. We run so that we can continue seeing our families." Virginia started.
Clive nodded, "Indeed. I would like to be there for my daughter's wedding one day." as he added on.
Gallows sighed a bit, "As much as I can't stand my grandma, the lady has gotten me out of a few binds here and there. And I love my little bro Shane. I don't want to see him grow up with ALL the responsibility of the tribe. I want him to know that his brother is there for him when he needs it!."
Jet just stood in the back. "Y-yeah...what they said."
Kayla couldn't help but find that last remark a little odd compared to the rest of them,but she shook it off. "So..."She started. She lowered her gun and looked at the night sky. "...the leader's family is in Boot Hill, yes?" She looked at the four of them. They didnt SEEM like all the crooks she had caught in the past...She walked up to the barrier, "Although I am a bounty hunter, I treasure family and it's value. I'll let you go on certain conditions."
Virginia gasped. Was this girl serious? She had the four of them in her fingertips and she was about to release them?
"You are to remain in Boot Hill. I'll stay in the city as well and monitor behavior and such. Show me five good days, and I'll over look this little meeting." She spoke in a very stern manner.
"W-why?" Virginia was still confused.
"I told you...I treasure the bond between families and such. I may be a professional bounty hunter but I am still human. Cut me a break would ya? So we got a deal or not?" She asked.
Virginia smiled and nodded, "Okay! we'll do it!"
Kayla sighed and put her gun back in it's sleeve, "okay, now I need you four to stand still. Deactivating these things is a pain. And since the only light source I currently have is from the barrier, I need all the light I can get."
"You don't have a flash light or anything?" Gallows asked. "I always thought people who traveled a lot were always prepared for situations like these." He chuckled.
"Out of batteries." she sighed as she knelled down to work on the first one. "Let's see...this screw...and this...okay..." there was a few beeping noises and then the first one shut down. She re-did this process three times and the barrier disappeared. "Okay, that's that." She patted her hands. She placed the screw driver in her pouch and the four small gadgets. "So we have a deal correct?"
"Yes." Virginia nodded, "And if you would like, I'm sure you can stay at my Aunt and Uncle's house."
Kayla thought about this, "Heh...you must be confident. alright, I'll chill at your place for a bit."
"Okay then, let's go home everyone!" Virginia marched forward.
"So what are we going to tell your Aunt and Uncle about her?" Jet whispered.
"I heard that." Kayla shouted.
Jet turned around, "I'm not quiet too sure that her Aunt and Uncle are going to be pleased with the idea of someone taking their niece away from them."
"True true." Kayla thought. "But in the end, it's all up to the leader, no?"
Jet replied with a sigh.
Clive thought for a moment and suggested an idea, "We could just say that we met her on our previous journey before hand. It would be safe for everyone."
Virginia then turned around, "I plan on telling them the truth."
Everyone was in shock for a moment. "Virginia are you crazy?!"
She shook her head, "They would find out eventually anyway, and they already are aware of us being taken away at any given second. So for us to say that Kayla gave us a second chance, they might feel grateful towards her."
Everyone of her teammates felt a bit uneasy, but hey, i was her family after all...
"Good job leader, good job..." Kayla thought to herself.
Gallows then walked up to Kayla, "So what all do you keep in that bag anyway?"
Kayla looked over at him, "A few things...why?"
"I'm just curious that's all." He shrugged.
"Hmm...I'll show you when we get 'home'." Kayla said. She didn't feel like trying to explain every special device in her bag right now, and she knew if she didn't do so, he would probably dig through her stuff, breaking something..."Well now..." She thought to herself, "Let's see how well the four of them can entertain me..."
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Authors notes: well that's my first chapter. The writing will get better as I write more, I promise, but just give me time to get my writing muse back in the groove. I would like a little constructive criticism though. Also, I'll try to make other chapters shorter, but I really wanted to introduce Kayla in the first one and it took me forever to find a way to do so. Since I just started this for fun, I don't know how long this story will run or what it will be about, so right now, it's kind of writing itself. (I just chose Wild Arms 3 because I wrote one like ages ago that I never posted.)
