Multiplication

They finished their walking, and got Pike to the train station. But neither person brought a ticket for the first train, or even the second. The duo was waiting for the one with the artifact to leave, so they could steal it when the opportunity arose. Virginia felt a strange sensation, like some superior being was nearby in the station. The feeling seemed to come from the train, and she wondered if it was the artifact talking to her. Or was she getting yelled at by a Guardian for spending her time searching for artifacts instead of her destiny. Not to mention sneaking on a train. But her destiny wasn't even ready, they were still a group of two. Her dream had told her that two others would join them in the days that they would go into a battle.

When the time was right, and no one was looking, they ran for the train. Jumping onto the side, they climbed onto the underbelly, to grab onto the steel mess. Now, all that remained was to wait for an opportune moment. Until then, neither could get any sleep. For to fall asleep, they would fall of the train.

* * *

A jerking sensation hit the train, and it came to a screeching halt. It was time, Jet began to climb back onto the side with Virginia following him closely. Suddenly, he broke a window, and ended up in the car with the artifact. They had known which one, because Virginia had a strong feeling about that car. She was a descendant of the Shamans, Avatars of the Guardians, and could feel when malevolent of benevolent artifacts are there. Due to this, she was often useful in detecting what they were looking for. Along with the strength Jet had, her magic, and their combined Airget-Type attacks, the duo was lucky in finding artifacts.

Virginia followed her partner up to the car. When she got there, she saw a bit of a scuffle going on between Jet and two other men. It was dark, so she couldn't make out their features quite correctly. But the gist of it was, that one was a guardsman hired to protect the cargo, and the second was another thief.

Wasting no time, she ran to the chest and opened it. Light filled the car, causing the men to stop fighting. The guardsman had green hair, and blue eyes framed with glasses, wearing a pair of black pants, a yellow vest like shirt, yellow boots, various belts, and an orangy brown cape with a black mantel. The other man had brown hair done in little ties and blue eyes, and wore a yellow vest, yellow pants, a leather shawl around his waist, some bracelets, and tape wrapped around his arms. They all turned to look at the artifact.

It appeared to be a staff of some sorts. But the feeling Virginia got from it calmed her soul. She felt as if this staff had magical properties, and reached out to touch it. Then, the gun of the intruder who Jet and the guardsman were fighting with could be felt against her head. "I don't want to shoot a pretty girl like you, but get your hands away from the Ark Scepter. I must know, is it real? Or is the one I already have real?"

"And you," Jet yelled at the man, "Get your gun away from my partner. I'll shoot you dead if I see you hurt her in any way. Don't listen to this big lug, Virginia, just get the treasure. We're going to be in the money once we hand a rich artifact like that into a store. Who cares if it's the real artifact or an imitation, they say that imitations are easy to sell off, as no one quite knows what the real ones look like. Are you an idiot, or do you have this thing about selling things that aren't worth what you get for them in the stores?"

"No, it's just that I took an Ark Scepter from the Fallen Sanctuary south of Baskar, and have a need to know which one is real. I'm from Baskar, so I know how to use it. And it's not going to sell in a store, I tried before. The gem on top looks too much like glass, the owners aren't convinced of its power. If they had the ability to sense magical workings like those of us from Baskar, they might buy it," the man retorted.

The guardsman stated, "In any case, I am ordered to stop anyone who wishes to steal this from the train. The High Priestess herself has asked me to see this thing safely to Baskar, and with all of the press release she put out this might be a breeding ground for worse thieves than yourself. After all, the fact that the train stopped doesn't seem to be just a coincidence. But I don't believe any of you made that happen, although you all used it as a distraction to get inside here and steal this. Someone else should be coming along soon, to try and take this from the train car." As he said those words, a hole was blown in the ceiling. They all turned to see what was going on, and could hear the muffled words of the thieves who had caused that disturbance. There was no doubt in anybody's mind that these were the ones who had stalled the train before, since it seemed to be an explosion that caused them to nearly be thrown off the side of the vehicle.

Virginia looked at Jet. "We've got to defend this. I've heard rumors that the Baskar were trying to call the Guardians in new ways, since their powers have weakened, and the Ark Scepter was the solution they came up with. I always thought it was just a fairy story my mother told me as a child. If this scepter falls into the wrong hands, if the Guardians are hurt because of it, there will be an even bigger mess here."

She took a jump, something she'd practiced over the last five years, and managed to land on the top of the roof. The others climbed up after her. There, stood a trio of Drifters. One had a black beard and black eyes, wearing a white T-shirt and brown suspender pants. The second had blond hair, one blue eye with the other covered in a black patch, a bandana over his face, a white shirt, and jeans. Finally, there was the leader, wearing a black shirt, tan jean pants, and carrying a bayonet. He had golden eyes that made the female Drifter seem to shiver, they had no life inside of them. And his hair was the color of blue steel.

"So, you're the one who stopped the train," Virginia said, "We won't let you take the scepter from the care below. All four of us will guard the holy relic with our lives, until we can safely return it back to the High Priestess in Baskar Village. Leave now, or prepare to die by the hands of us four, you fiendish devils."

"You're one to talk, I saw you and your friend break through the window before. Oh well, there's no need to dwell on this. You'll step aside, or I will be the one to kill you. Romero, Dario, let's get going, these Drifters seem to pose no significant threat," the leader yelled. He pulled out his bayonet, and fired into the air. Shots rained down on the four, causing slight burns and a few wounds. Virginia pulled out a Berry, and used her Mystic technique to heal the gang up. At the same time, the Baskar was Extension/Healing them as well, after all you can never be too careful in a combat situation. Jet and the guardsman just attacked.

The blond, called Romero, told his leader, "Janus, it's too dangerous. They don't seem to react to being attacked at all. And the girl, there's something in her eyes but I can't put my finger on it. It's as if. . ."

Janus asked, "As if what? Romero? We don't have all day for you to be playing around with them."

Romero was shaking. "It's almost as if she's not human at all, but some sort of Demon of War."

- - - -

Teefa's Last Word…

Sorry to leave it there, I just wanted to place the battle in a separate chapter. They had to all get acquainted, as well as to have Janus barge in and get himself introduced in a short battle scene. We have the real battle, and the trip to Baskar next.