Wild ARMs 3

Chapter 1:

The planet Filgaia is slowly rotting, it's once lush vegetation withering away.

As if that wasn't enough, all sorts of predators roam the desert and prey on innocent travelers.

Yet there are some willing to brave this wasteland to seek their fortunes.

Those folks are known as 'Drifters.'

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Virginia felt her heart pause as the three other Drifters confronted each other. As she slowly reached for her own ARMs, there was a massive explosion. A large part of the roof collapsed, causing them all to look up.

"What now?" Tony groaned.

"I think someone's up on the roof," Virginia replied.

"Yes, I must agree," the gunman with the long, brown coat, long barreled ARM, glasses and green hair replied, "I believe this may be the culprit who activated the emergency brakes. Would someone like to volunteer to go up and investigate?

"You're joking, right?" the dark guy in the yellow Baskar clothes asked. Virginia tried to stop herself staring at his unusually large lips. "Don't look at me. I'm not as naive as to turn my back to a stranger."

"Very well, then." the gunman said. "I shall take the lead. But, please escort the young lady on your way up." He started towards the hole in the ceiling. After a second, the others followed.

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Virginia suppressed a yelp as the Baskar hauled her up onto the roof. As she turned, Virginia realized that their little group was being confronted by three men.

"Heh…" the red-jacketed, blue haired robber said, resting on an ARM with a huge bayonet on the end. "Looks like we've got company. You guys sure don't look like guardsmen to me. Who are you anyway? And you punk… Didn't I see you kick in the window and break into the cabin? Don't tell me you blokes are all Drifters going after the same treasure." Virginia noticed that the Baskar and the white haired boy glanced away from each other guiltily at this. The gunman aimed his ARM at the trio of thieves carefully.

"Yes," he said, "we have been hired to guard the treasure." Then he muttered "At least that holds true for me." He coughed, and continued in a louder tone. "We're here to protect the goods from ruffians such as yourselves, and deliver the goods to their rightful owner. I would ask you to withdraw quietly. I would like to avoid any bloodshed and unnecessary expense if it is at all possible." The robber waved a finger.

"We welcome unnecessary bloodshed!" he exclaimed. "And we're not paying the expenses! Once we take care of business here, there's a hefty reward waiting to roll in! We don't have time to play!" One of the others, a yellow haired hooligan glanced away into the distance.

"I'd like to avoid the unnecessary bloodshed part, though," he muttered. The robber backhand his ARM into the hooligan's face. The hooligan clutched his nose in agony.

"I wonder who they're working for?" Virginia whispered to herself.

"You're very sharp," the gunman congratulated quietly, "by the way, how's your shooting?"

"I'll do my best," Virginia replied equally quietly.

"Glad to hear. I'll be counting on you," he turned to the others. "And you two... I ask for your assistance as well."

"What are you plotting?" the robber, who Virginia was beginning to take a serious dislike to. "So are you planning to bite the dust, or bite the bullet and face us?" He took out and examined a pocket watch. "Listen, time is money. Let's get this started already."

"B-Boss…" the bearded man, the third member of the party, interrupted panicky. "We're one short without Lucio, you know. I don't think we should bite off more then we can chew."

"You blokes just do as I say!" the robber shouted, "or do you have a problem with that? You want to end up dead like Lucio? Psyche yourselves up! Shut your fly, Dario! Be a man, Romero! Janus Cascade… Ready to wreak havoc… Assume positions!" The group split up and tried to surround Virginia and the others, not an easy task given how confined the top of a train carriage was.

"How did I get myself into this?" the Basker complained, "I mean we just met two seconds ago, and now we're all buddy teaming up together. I mean, c'mon! Hey, is anybody listening to me?" Virginia turned to him.

"Stop rambling!" she replied. "We have to work together."

"Yes, ma'am…" the Baskar replied quietly. With a roar of gunpowder and bullets, battle was joined between the two groups.

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"Tch…" the robber Janus tutted. "We're out of time" He muttered something Virginia didn't catch. "Not bad, Princess. Why don't you quit that measly little team and come and join us?"

"Thanks, but no thanks," Virginia sneered, "I don't hang out with thugs."

"Thugs?" Janus asked. "Lighten up, Princess. We're all Drifter's here. Aren't we? My, my… would you look at the time, it's time for us to bid adieu. See you soon…"

"We're not through with you yet! Virginia shouted back, even as a train's horn blew in the distance. "Hmm? What's that noise?" As she looked back, she spotted a train passing by on the lower track to the right. As it passed the stationary train, Janus and his band suddenly leaped off the train…and landed safely on the last car of the second train. Virginia ran to the car edge in time to see them fade into the distance.

"So long princess!" Janus' voice drifted back. "See you around." Virginia scowled as the train vanished into the distance.

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Virginia climbed down from the train. When she turned around, she saw Tony handing the crate from the cargo carriage to the gunman.

"My apologies for all the trouble," he apologized to Tony. "Please report any damages to my client. I shall arrange it so that you shall be compensated." As Tony climbed back onto the train, Virginia walked over to him.

"That's the box with all that mysterious light, right?" she asked. "What was that anyway? That light… It had some kind of warmth to it. Those thugs were after the light source, right?"

"What you saw young lady," the Baskar explained from behind her, "was the sparkle of the Ark Scepter. It's a sacred artifact that allows you to communicate with the power that sustains the world."

"The power that sustains the world?" Virginia repeated in realization. "So that's what they were after…" There was a blast of steam, and the train started up and headed on down the track.

"There it goes…" Virginia murmured. "It sure was a stormy night, wasn't it?"

"So this is what I get for helpin' out…" the white haired guy muttered. "Stuck in the middle of nowhere." He kicked at the ground, sending up a small cloud of dust.

"We seemed to have missed our stop while taking care of business…" the gunman said.

"Okay… What now?" Virginia asked.

"I need to deliver the goods to my client. It should be within walking distance of here." Clive replied. He turned to the Baskar. "I believe you might know where that is."

"Uhh… well… Yeah, I guess…" The Baskar admitted, hesitantly. "Go northwest of here to a small village at the foot of the mountains. It's a place called Baskar. It's actually my hometown. Although I should add that I don't really feel like returning there."

"Well, since we're all here," Virginia pointed out, "waddaya say we all go together!"

"I was just in it for the ride" the white haired guy said, and hesitated, "…but… It's not a bad idea to reap the rewards. Gotta cash in when you can."

"Let's see… Where shall we begin?" Virginia mused, and then realized that she had never heard her new friends' names. "I know! Let's introduce ourselves."

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Legal Notes: Wild ARMs 3 and the associated charactersand storybelongs to Media Vision/Contrail. I have no intention of gaining any money from this document.