The First Artifact

"Well, we've finally made it you guys," Virginia stated, "Jolly Roger. We can go over to the saloon and have a big dinner. Then, all we have to do is listen to the gossip, and we can find out about some of the strange occurrences that have been going on. Rumors come here on the wind, and if there's any Demon activity at all on Filgaia, it'll be found out here. Besides, this place has the best steak in the whole world."

"So, what then? Are we going to all stick together, or are we gonna have one big goodbye bash in this saloon? I really don't care about following the path Granny set out for us, I left Baskar to get away from things like that. There's no point in me following a pair of kids who received a vision around," Gallows said.

Jet was ready to shoot him point blank, how dare that man talk to Virginia like this? He may be a little bit of a grouch, and a bit rude around other people. But with Virginia, there was a side of Jet that other people never saw. She'd been with him for five years, ever since his birth, taking care of him as if she was his own mother. The boy cared about her greatly, for only she had ever understood him and who he was.

Virginia replied, "Remember, we've been granted the Mediums by the Guardians. It is our destiny to save the world. I'm not going to just leave all the innocent people here to die if the Demons are trying to kill them. Besides, in my vision I was told that four Drifters would be in my group, and that's what we have right here. So, we should probably stick together." She began to head for the saloon, with the others coming close behind her. Jet sighed, and walked directly behind his partner. She sure was getting in over her head once again, just like the Shadow Demon of five years ago. He knew that he'd always be there to protect her when times got tough. Just as she took care of his emotional needs, he was her knight in shining armor.

* * *

In the saloon, they heard about the Eternal Sparkle. It was a Demon artifact that shone with a blue light. Apparently, it was sealed by three shields, and one was located to the north of the town. Virginia had then decided to go, it sounded interesting. Clive looked at her. "If you wish to do this, then we will all follow your lead, leader. Since it was your vision that brought all of us together, you should be the one in charge."

Virginia blushed, she didn't think of herself as much of a leader. But after dinner, she found she had to agree with Clive. It HAD been her vision that was keeping the team together. She turned to Jet, who then gave her a small wink. He did, however, make sure that Gallows and Clive didn't see it. The girl wasn't mad at him for that, he never showed his kind side to anyone besides her. Especially when they were alone, he would actually talk about his fears for the future. And she would tell him hers. All of this was too confusing for the young Drifter, what did Jet feel for her? Was it love? And did she feel that way about her friend too?

Outside, they ran into Janus again. He was talking to his two minions about something or other when they walked up. Instantly, Virginia reached for her two pistols. There was no way in hell she would be taken off guard and get killed here. The vision she had needed to be completed, she needed to rescue their homeworld from the Demons. No one, not even this Janus Cascade, was going to interfere with her now.

"Take it easy Princess," Janus told her, "I'm only here to ask for your help. You're going after the Eternal Sparkle, am I right? Well, we're looking for it too. What do you say we team up, and split whatever prophet we can get for the loot? And not just you, the rest of these blokes are invited to share the wealth."

"I don't think I can trust you, but I'm willing to give you a chance. Everyone deserves to be able to make up for what they did in the past. But if you pull even one stunt while on my watch, you're going to be in so much pain. I've got a Medium now, and can crush you with my magic," she threatened. Although she knew the truth, that many Drifters would turn on anyone to make a quick buck, she didn't like not to trust a person she'd just met. Besides, she, Jet, and Gallows had also tried to steal the scepter, and Gallows was someone she found she could trust. Even though he was an idiot. Maybe Janus was like her and Jet, he had no idea of the exact use of the scepter or even what the cargo was. Just that it was treasure to sell.

* * *

At the Temple of Memory, Virginia found she had a strange sensation run through her veins. It was as if the Mediums were howling to two enormous presences. One was most definitely a Demonic one, the shield guarding the Eternal Sparkle. The second, however, seemed benevolent. It was almost as if one of the Guardians were in the room with them, but not Invoked through a Medium. As a Shaman, Virginia had more perception than most people, but it had increased tenfold after her transformation following Yggdrasil.

Janus told her, "Well, Princess. How does this place feel to you. I can tell there's treasure here, it is a sixth sense for me. As well as most seasoned Drifters, which you are. How long you've been at it?"

Virginia blushed. "Five years. Jet and I took to the road after meeting one another. We've never left each other's side since. I can tell you've been at it for awhile, and you've had the same partners throughout the whole journey. I can also tell that you lost at least one ally on your journey. Maybe that's the reason a hurt seems to be in your heart. Maybe if you dealt with the pain that is in your soul, you'd be at peace too."

Jet didn't like that man looking at his partner. He hated it when people tried to hit on Virginia. The whole thing with Janus calling her "Princess", made him think the man was doing just that. Or he could be teasing Virginia. Did he know exactly to whom he was talking to? Virginia was the ancient descendant of a royal family that was destroyed with Adlehyde. THE most powerful sorcerers out of the entire Shaman tribe.

Soon, they arrived at the room with the shield in it. Janus began to cackle a little, as he took the shield held on the wall. He turned to the others, and glared. Then, he laughed like a maniac, and seemed to be mocking the Drifters. It was then that Virginia knew that he intended to betray them, and fired at him.

"Foolish girl," Janus said, "You're too trusting. Even if you can fight back against me, you had no idea of my powers. Dario! Romero! Fight them and keep them from following me when I make my escape from here. I've got to get this to our employers." With that, he ran and his men turned to face the Drifters.

Virgina and her team began fighting back. After a short time, Dario and Romero ran off. She felt she had been a fool for her trust, but at least she didn't betray her beliefs. And how was she to know that he wouldn't stay and face them like a man? The team began to leave the ruins, and head for the Midland Station. From there, they would go to Westwood, and find out some information in Claiborne Village.

- - - -

Teefa's Last Words…

I know I'm skipping a lot, want to get to the juicy bits. Well, if I concentrated on every single detail of every single dungeon, each section would be between two and ten chapters long. And we don't want that, we want to be able to go from event to event. But if the event is big enough (Yggdrasil, Deus Ex Machina, ect.) I'll give it a much fuller coverage. Since there is so much you can do.