Sorry for the long wait! I wanted to finish up a climax in my other fic, but I didn't forget my newest fic! WOOT! Thank you for my first reviewers; Teefa and Co., LadyAeris1997 (Wild Fantasy), AngelofMercy86, and Wolf of Light! You guys R awesome! Anyways, here's chapter 2! ENJOY! ; p

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Chapter 2

Into Gemstone Cave

"So where are we going again?" Gallows asked before yawning loudly and leaning over his horse's neck.

"To Gemstone Cave" Clive replied, giving him a side-long glance.

It was noon by then, and the team had been traveling on horse-back since sunrise. It was another scorching humid day and the occasional small sand gusts, made their faces sting. Going from Humphrey's Peak to Gemstone Cave wasn't the farthest they had ever traveled, but it was still a boiling and boring ride. But their purpose was urgent and they would stick to it.

They still had a few miles until they reached the cool atmosphere of the cave. Every now and then they would pause under the overcastting shadows of the cliffs that rose from the ground.

"So what do you think happened in Gemstone Cave?" Gallows said trying to break the irritating silence as they inched closer to their destination. "I mean these two guys were partners, I don't think this guy would just leave his injured friend there alone"

"Maybe he went for help, but was too injured himself to go back" Virginia suggested, avoiding the worst possibility. "I just hope he's okay in that cave"

"Probably starving" Clive added. Luckily, they had packed extra rations just for that occasion. "Well, make sure your ARM's are loaded just in case"

Soon, they familiar view came into site; two cliffs rose from the sand ocean attached to a small narrow isle. Between the island and them was a crevice the size of an average body length.

They have crossed these large fissures before, but the one to Gemstone Cave was the largest they'd ever face. And they only crossed it a few times before. It was hard to imagine how deep they went; many thought they went to the very core of the planet, but that was unlikely. But still, if you fell down it, your fate was sealed, because you weren't getting out.

"I'll go first" Gallows said, backing his Ebony stallion further away from the crack. Taking a deep breath, Gallows kicked his horse hard in its flank, sending it racing towards the crevice with a loud whiney. It leapt, high in the air over the fissure, landing perfectly on the other side. The horse flicked its ears in confusion as Gallows looked back at his companions. "C'mon!" He bided them with a wave.

Clive followed, using the same method he also landed perfectly on the other side.

"You go" Jet murmured, glancing momentarily at his leader. She nodded and headed towards the crevice at a slow pace first gradually gaining speed in increments. This method of crossing wasn't as efficient and the horses were prone to spook this way, Jet noticed this.

With the highest confidence, Virginia neared the point to jump, her horse at top speed. But her white mare, unlike the others, noticed the obstacle before it. And was intent on stopping. Jet noticed the horse pressing its hooves to the earth trying to stop, but its rider kept it moving fast, too fast. Virginia was unaware that her horse wasn't going to cross and leaned forward in her saddle, preparing to jump.

Jet felt a fearful sensation run down his spine. She wouldn't make it. She was leaning to far forward and if the horse stopped instantly, the force would knock her clean over the horse neck inevitably falling to her death or being crushed by the horse. Either way she would lose if he didn't help. He was cold and abrasive, but he would never let her die.

"Virginia!" He cried, kicking his own brown horse in the flank. It bucked at first before galloping towards Virginia, who didn't hear her name and was closing in on her death.

Virginia's horse was hasty, but not as quick as his own. A few moments later he had reached the mare's rear, which had reached the crevice. And in split second the mare stopped on a dime, the force of the speed made it lean far forward over the dark fissure. As he expected she fell forward, screaming. In an act of urgency, Jet reached out and grasped a tight grip on her arm as he halted his own horse, making the anxious horse rear and knock him and Virginia off as well.

Holding her still, Jet fell to the hard sandy ground as Virginia fell on top of him, bashing her head onto his stone hard shoulder. Both horses neighed loudly, backing quickly away from the crevice and galloping a few yard away.

Sitting up, Jet noticed Clive and Gallows already standing on the other side of the fissure with incredulous expressions on their faces. Then he realized, his leader was limp and unconscious in his arms which made him flustered nonetheless. Gently, laying her on the ground he gazed at her angelic, passive face. Her eyes were lightly closed and she seemed to be sleeping. She was so…

"Jet!" Gallows cried frantically. Jet glanced at him. "Is she okay?"

"Er…" Perplexed, Jet wished Clive or Gallows was still on that side of the fissure, but he was alone with his unconscious leader. Grasping her shoulders, he shook her lightly as her said her name a few times. Eventually he heard her make a quiet noise that she was coming to. Her eyes flutter open as if she had awakened from a deep sleep until she noticed him staring with an unusually concerned expression. She sat up as he instinctively backed away.

"What happened?" She asked until it flooded back to her. "I remember being on the horse and then suddenly stopping. I felt a hand on my arm and then…"

She then glanced up at Jet, who lost his concerned look. "Did you save me, Jet?"

He didn't reply. Instead, Gallows and Clive chimed in for him.

"Hell yeah! Ginny, you'd be dead now if it weren't for him!" Gallows shouted, laughing. "Way to go, spiky!"

"Yes, I don't think you'd be here if it weren't for Jet" Clive added, pushing on his glasses.

Turning from them back to their stoic android, Virginia laughed and stood up. "Thank you so much!" She cooed, giving him a surprise embrace, feeling him tense up in her arms which made her laugh more. When she backed away, he was frozen where he stood. A moment later, he shook his head and looked away, adding his usual, nonchalant "Whatever" and went to capture his horse.

Following to capture her own horse, Virginia watched him stalk forward before her. He may never say "You're welcome" But she was grateful to have him there. What would happen if he wasn't there? Where would she be? Crumbled at the bottom of that black crevice probably.

Minutes later, they'd captured the horses and were successful in crossing the fissure with the incident left behind.

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The inside of the cave was cool and serene, a pleasant change from the blistering heat. The walls were aligned with immaculate illuminated crystals that lit up the narrow cavern paths. It appeared to be quite tranquil, with no sign of danger.

"Alright, where should we start?" Clive asked, looking down the various paths.

"There're a lot of paths in here" Gallows explained, rubbing his head and sighing in exasperation. "We should split up in two's"

"Good idea" Virginia agreed, nodding. "He shouldn't be too far into the caves"

"Gallows and I will go this way" Clive said, gesturing to a crumbled wall off to the side. "Virginia, you and Jet go down the main route"

Virginia glanced at her partner, who scowled and looked away. "Sounds good to us" She chimed, taking Jet's casual silence as compliance. With that, the two groups went their ways.

A few minutes later, Virginia trekked down the down the long narrowed crystal lined paths while Jet stalked dubiously in front of her. He appeared to be in his own undisturbed reverie. It was difficult—or rather impossible to understand or to even guess what he was thinking. She was tempted to ask, but thought better of it as she would probably get a conceited reply.

Instead they walked in irksome silence until they came upon a disturbing scene.

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"These caves are like friggin' mazes!" Gallows chided, throwing his hands in the air as they continued to stride on. They were about fifteen minutes in and still couldn't hear any cries for assistance.

"I'm beginning to get concerned that we may not find anything" Clive said in the midst of Gallows complaining. "We haven't found any sign of a disturbance…Gallows?" Clive paused when he noticed Gallows absence next to him. He turned and found Gallows frozen in his steps, staring far ahead of them. Clive, who had been watching the ground for footprints, glanced towards the path ahead and was stunned by what he saw.

A colossal black hole was drilled into the ground that made further travel impassable. The gaping hole was more than nine feet from one end to the other. Something massive, something dangerous, something able to burrow through solid rock and dirt was the culprit; a looming culprit that was possibly in their very wake.

"Whoa…" was Gallows only scrawny word to express his shock. "I think…We found a sign"

Just then, there was a loud, bloodcurdling scream from the direction in which they came. It was a high pitched voiced scream; a familiar cry. It was their leader.

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Oooooh, cliffie! XD It's not the best chappie I've ever written, but I'm leaving tomorrow and I wanted to get this in for you guys before then! Plz R&R!