Jet's ear caught the strange and yet very familiar cry of an unknown beast. He was stationed between Clive and Gallows, who were forcing him to sit on the rock, peering away from the sound. Jet attempted to stand up in order to see what the sound was coming from, but Clive and Gallows made sure the lavender eyes man stayed put.
"Will you guys let go! I hear something coming." Jet spat.
Clive strained his ears to hear whatever it was. His abilities served him well as the sound came to him. Clive stood up and turned around.
"Hey Clive! What the heck are you doing?!" Gallows asked.
Even without the aid of the sniper scope, Clive could easily see Dario and Romero running towards the pond, stripping as they ran. "Shit."
Jet freed himself from Gallows' hold and turned to see the gleeful Drifters. "Dario and Romero. …If we wait a couple more minutes, they'll have stripped themselves of their ARMS."
Gallows managed to turn himself around, despite his conscious effort to not look. He cracked an enormous smile. "Now if that isn't the funniest thing I've ever seen, I don't know what is."
"We can't let them get in there with Virginia! They'll discover her!" Clive looked to the other two.
"And Ian and Cormano are probably nearby…" Gallows thought.
"Shouting to Virginia will alert them of our presence." Jet thought.
Somehow all three of them were thinking the same thing and dived behind the boulder simultaneously. After a moment, three sets of eyes peeped over the rock, and three gun barrels rested on the boulder's surface.
"Clive, can you hit them without them knowing?" Jet asked.
"Yes I could, in fact it would be easy. But did you forget the pledge we took at the Ark?" Clive replied.
"So take out their knees or something." Jet suggested.
Gallows pushed Jet out of the way. "Pssht. Clive, just scare them by hitting the spot next to their toes or something like that."
"Exactly." Clive peered through the sniper scope. Romero was right in his sights.
"Hey guys!" Virginia called, expecting an answer. She then looked to the boulder by the lake to see that they had left. "Guys? …Hey where'd you go!"
"Yippee! I can't wait to get in that water!" A now completely nude Dario shouted.
"Yeehaw! Me neither! I'll finally be able to bathe!" Romero replied. Romero suddenly stopped as he noticed three horses sipping the lake water. "Hey Dario!"
Dario stopped and turned around. "WHAAAAT?!"
"Lookey here. Someone left their horses…" Romero pointed to the three horses.
"Hey you're right! You think they're still here?" Dario asked.
"Hey! Why'd they stop?" Gallows asked.
"It seems they've discovered our horses." Clive answered.
"Well get to shooting them!" Gallows urged.
"Wait a moment. Right now they're to close to the horses. The fire may cause them to run away." Clive said.
"Isn't that what we want?" Gallows was confused.
"He means the horses will run away you dumb ass." Jet replied.
"Hey, I think there's somebody in the water!" Dario stated.
"What makes you say that?" Romero asked.
Dario pointed to the purple dress folded neatly in the grass. "Because her clothes are right here!"
"A lady huh? I'm going to go see if I can sneak a peek." Romero walked away from the horses.
"Aw man! This pond is GREAT!" Dario chuckled.
The two crept to a nearby boulder, hiding themselves from the lake and Clive's sniper scope.
"You think they caught on to us?" Gallows asked.
"Why else would they start hiding like that? They have to know there's an ambush." Jet added.
"I wouldn't give Dario and Romero that much credit. But they're now far away from the horses, so the moment one stops out…" Clive had his sights on the big sand blasted rock.
"This is no fun by myself." Virginia thought to herself as she made bubbles in the water. "Especially when they're not even here to listen to me. I'll think I'll be getting out."
"You see anything Dario?" Romero asked as he scanned the ponds surface.
"Naw. Too many boulders in the way."
"YOU'VE GOT THREE MINUTES LEFT!" Cormano's voice shouted over the region.
"Eek! Was that Cormano?!" Virginia dived herself back into the water.
"That was Cormano just now." Clive said.
"No kidding, where is he?" Gallows looked over the rock.
"He's out back there with Ian." Jet pointed with the airget-lamh.
"Three minutes?! We'd better hurry!" Dario stepped out from the boulder.
"CLIVE! CLIVE! CLIVE! SHOOT HIM! SHOOT HIM!" Gallows was chanting.
BAM! A bullet bit the dust right in front of Dario's foot. Dario jumped back in fear.
"Someone's shooting us!" Dario told Romero, who simply nodded.
"I heard gunfire!" Cormano pulled out the Domar 55H. Ian drew his two hand ARMS, Love and War.
Virginia swam closer to her belongings, but from here she could see the two naked men hiding near them. She crouched back down, disgusted by the sight.
"He jumped behind the boulder. Jet, you sneak around the lake till you get a good view and flush them out. Just don't try to kill them." Clive demanded.
Jet nodded and crept around the lakeside until he got into view. Unfortunately from his new spot, he also saw Virginia Maxwell. It was from the back, but for some unknown reason, at least to Jet, he couldn't concentrate on firing upon the men. He tried to tear his eyes away, but he simply couldn't.
Gallows could see Jet just sitting there. Clive had his eye in the scope, expecting them to come running out at any minute. "Jet!" Gallows whispered, but there was no response. He was too far away. Gallows picked up a rock and threw it. However, Gallows had a terrible pitchers arm, so the rock went splashing into the pond near Virginia, who instantly fretted and turned around, who saw Jet. Jet saw Virginia, and for some reason pulled the trigger, causing the airget-lamh to fire all over the place. Virginia turned deep red and screamed, which matched the scream Romero gave when a bullet penetrated his right bottom cheek. This led to the confusion as Dario leaped out from behind the boulder and was shot at from Clive, who was sure NOT to hit him. Further chaos was added when Cormano arrived on the muddy banks firing his enormous ARM in all directions. It was not a good place to be.
"L-lets get out of here Boss!" Dario picked up his clothes and started dressing.
"Did you happen to see any of the gunners?" Cormano asked the dressing men.
"Naw, One got me in the rear Boss!" Romero yelped.
"You'd better stick it in the water if you want it to heal correctly." Ian advised, ARMS drawn.
BAM! Another one of Clive's bullets dug itself a hole right next to Cormano's boots. Cormano stepped back, but upon doing so caught a glimpse of Jet. "It's the Maxwell Gang!"
Ian instantly turned on his heels to face Jet, who was now running to take cover behind Gallows and Clive's boulder. LOVE and WAR fired one after another, each a hair behind Jet's trailing scarf.
"We're in a real jam now." Gallows swore.
Jet dived behind the boulder, much like a baseball player dives into home base. "They found us out!"
"Thanks to your antics Jet, you gave me an idea." Clive re-aimed the Gungnir HAG35 towards Cormano. "A shot in your rear should get you running too."
BAM! The bullet dug through Cormano's boot and into his foot. Cormano instantly leaped up and grabbed his foot, screaming.
"Boss! You've been hit!" Fully clothed Romero said, rubbing his bum.
"No %^&*ing Shit, Smart Ass! Retreat!" Cormano began to hop away.
"Cormano, what about the Maxwell Gang?" Ian asked as began to round the pond.
"I've GOT A %^&ING BULLET IN MY %^&*ING FOOT! RETREAT GOD DAMNIT!" Cormano howled. Ian glanced once more up the pond side and then ran off after the retreating Drifter Gang.
"We'll be back!" Shouted Dario.
"You can count on it!" Romero yelled.
And with that, the Drifter Gang vanished from sight…
** *
Virginia was just finishing dressing herself up, adjusting her white gloves. She was incredible angry, her face was a portrait of rage. The other three were preparing the horses to leave. All of them looked like they wish they could be anywhere but here.
"THE NERVE THEY HAD! ATTACKING US WHILE I WAS NAKED! HOW RUDE! UNCONCIDERATE! BARBAROUS! LOUTISH CRETINS! OOOH IT MAKES ME SO ANGRY! CLIVE!" Virginia shouted.
"Yes Virginia?" Clive responded in a weak voice.
"Do you agree with me on how uncivilized those flippant, high handed, insensitive, cheeky rats tried to dive in an take a peek!?"
"Yes Virginia." Clive agreed.
Virginia then stomped up to Jet and reared her hand back. This was the last thing Jet was expecting. In one quick swipe, Jet was on the ground with red imprint of Virginia's hand on his cheek. "AND THAT'S FOR LOOKING WHILE I WAS INDECENT YOU PERVERT!"
Virginia exhaled and was breathing fast. Gallows stepped back, hands guarding his face. "Hey, I didn't do anything! I swear."
"You stay out of this Gallows Carradine! This doesn't involve you!" Virginia hissed.
"Exactly! I don't want to be a part of it!" Gallows replied.
One fell swoop added to the casualties as Gallows fell to the ground with a hand on his face.
"Let's get moving. Hmph!" Virginia leaped upon her ivory horse and surprisingly started off without them.
"What the hell is her problem?" Jet asked, rubbing his face.
"Hell has no wrath like a woman scorned." Clive phrased as he mounted Gallows' horse.
"Remind me never to get her mad." Gallows mounted the horse and pulled the reigns. Jet did the same for his.
"Jet, once we get to Humphrey's Peak, I'll teach you proper etiquette around ladies. I hate to admit it, but you are in need of it badly." Clive offered.
"Whatever. Let's just go." Jet said.
The two horses than went into full gallop, attempting to catch up with the white horse that rode into the sunset…