omg I am so srry for the wait. I hope I haven't been completely abandoned because of my terrible slacking n.n; Here's chapter 4!!

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Chapter 3

Unrequited Failures

Virginia scrambled a few steps a way, turning and feeling the need to vomit. Her scream had resounded to every corner of the caves and it was likely that Clive and Gallows had heard, but she feared something else had heard as well…

Jet glanced between his sickened leader and the gruesome sight they had come upon; a man, or what was left of him, was propped up a against the cave wall. Both of his legs were severed and missing; spreading crimson blood into the light of the glowing crystals. A distinguished gnash spreading the full length of his arm, expelling more blood. His clothes were tattered and his face was cut and bruised to the point where he was unrecognized. Amazingly, he still breathed, but probably for only a little longer.

Whatever happened to him, happened only a few minutes before they arrived. The anguish of the man's severed limbs and terribly cut body had faded into numbness by now.

Sighing, Jet shook his head. 'Great. Wait 'til we have to explain this one' He finally turned to Virginia, who was rubbing her arms. Comforting someone definitely wasn't a skill he had acquired, but having their leader lose her wits over the sight wasn't getting them anywhere.

"Are you…okay?" Jet forced himself to say. Virginia paused her convulsive breathing and turned to him slowly, avoiding eye contact with the bloody mess behind him. Her face scrunched up with disbelief.

"Are you kidding?" She scowled at him as she spoke.

Jet stood back, his slight concern returning to evident smugness. "Fine, then get your ass up and stop crying" His tone was half-interested and unfeeling although Virginia would probably pull her ARM on him one day.

Virginia scowled and frowned at him, but she wouldn't quarrel with him at this juncture. Their discrepancies rarely had an end. As she stood to her feet, the injured man began to hack. His half-conscious mind realizing there were others present.

Jet seemed a little more interested, but his angry expression remained unchanged. Virginia reluctantly approached the man, bending slowly at the waist. Wide-eyed and attempting to remain ordinary through her spontaneous revulsion she asked, "Can you hear me?"

She heard Jet make an apathetic "Tch" sound as he propped himself against the wall of the cave.

She glared over her shoulder, but shook his disrespect off when she finally heard the wounded man speak. His voice was somewhat slurred as he attempted to warn them with urgency, "Get…out"

"Why? What happened to you?"

"Get…out before—" He was interrupted by a series of coughs and hacks, "it's too…late…"

His warning was blunt and he would die before any other worthy information could be given. Finally, Clive and Gallows had arrived in deep breaths. Laying eyes on the dying man propped against the wall they both formed disgruntled expressions on their faces.

"Whoa, what happened?" Gallows asked, slapping his forehead in defeat. "I hope that's not the guy we came all this way for…"

"Who else?" Jet replied smugly, his eyes closed with disinterest.

"Shut up, you damned little—" Gallows scoffed, shaking a fist before he was promptly interrupted. The ground beneath their feet quivered, gravel from the cave ceiling crumbling and clamored to the ground. Suddenly the seemingly steady rock layer above Virginia's head fractured and collapsed. The impact of the massive rocks onto the cave floor sent her falling backwards onto her back.

Jet was standing over her, but his gaze was focused elsewhere. The ceiling was nothing more than a black gaping fissure like the one Clive and Gallows had discovered earlier. But from within, unearthly shrieks bellowed from whatever caused the cave in.

Virginia stood, brushing herself off as she peered upon the crumbled rock. The man, most likely the man they were searching for, was undoubtedly dead under the thick layer of stone. She sighed, hanging her head in defeat before staring at the wide gap in the ceiling. It was too dark to see all the way through, but whatever was making the din, it wasn't far.

"We need to leave" Clive announced, exchanging glances with everyone. "Whatever did this, I'm sure we won't be very welcomed"

Virginia kept her hand on one of her ARMs, Rapier Ez, and her favorite of the two. Feeling the barrel with her other hand as she listened, the cool steel was encouraging and then gliding her fingers along the sleek side until reaching the rigid surface of the Grip. Her finger curling around the trigger, she said, "We can't go, what will happen if we just leave? More people will be hurt, right?"

She received no reply as she expected, she turned her head towards Clive who appeared to be deep in thought. His leather gloved hand tightened around the Gungnir's barrel creating a faint squeaking sound. Gallows scratched his neck with his ARM, distantly scowling at the ceiling.

Jet stood to the side, unexpressive and stern as grasped his ARM from over his shoulder. When he noticed her stare, he impulsively averted away, narrowing his unique but bitter eyes on a fractured crystal.

Peering from the gaping crevice in the ceiling, a red needle-like limb poked away at the ceiling, bits of gravel broke and fell to the ground. Soon after, several more needle-like legs crept from gap. The shrieking and cackling softened as the creature within aloud the piercing limbs dance along the ceiling in search of any intruders.

Naturally, Virginia fumbled backwards now with both ARM's in hand. Her comrades close behind her, attentive and prepared as the meandering limbs flounced to and fro. Now the rest of the creature emerged, revealing a sleek scaly body. The red needle-like limb squirmed from where they were attached to it's neck seeming like bladed whiskers. With a head resembling a lion and the body of a snake, the monster serpentined down the walls and coiled tightly around a protruding crystal boulder. In length it stretched approximately thirteen feet and its girth was long and slender.

It had short forearms, the claws scraping the crystal in a faint screech. The fiend heaved a horrendous shrieking cry, its jaws widening nearly a foot all the way around and revealing rows of hooked fangs. Its eyes widened a gruesome yellow and slitted.

"Damn, that thing is ugly" Gallows pointed out, raising his ARM towards the monster. It wasn't phased as it stretched its neck out, a slimy black tongue snaking through the air and retracting again.

Virginia stood back, squeezing both her ARMS now, prepared for the hostile fiend to take action. She felt a fearful sensation charge throughout her body, she felt the Guardians tremble in the midst of the monsters rage. "The Guardians are wary" She spoke softly.

Abruptly, it lunged in a heart-rending scream. The three inch claws stretched forth towards Virginia, instead it forced sideways receiving a bullet to the temple from Clive. The group scattered, the spiraling tail swerved to and fro at their feet threatening to trip them as it thrashed and collided with the walls, crumbling the already unsteady stone.

One wrong motion and Gallows was crushed into the wall, cracking several ribs. Freed as the tail thrashed about, he inclined his stomach and clutching the aching ribs. Virginia appeared at his aid, kneeling as she shot blindly in a trigger happy notion.

Jet and Clive remained vigilant, firing as many projectiles as they could before the monster regained its hostile composure. Balancing its heavy weight on its tail, it slashed he needles expanding from its neck towards Jet. Dodging with great precision, he captured one of the many piercing whisker in his grip and as the creature thrashed, the whisker detached.

Blood spattered onto the stone floor as the serpent cried out in agony. It flailed in anguish before throwing its weight into the wall behind it. The rock fractured and began to collapse.

Virginia was aiding Gallows quickly towards the path they had come, seeking the exit. She turned back as damaged rock finally could tolerate any more damage and finally began to give way. Jet and Clive rushed back down the path behind Virginia and Gallows. The heavy rock crumbled and crushed the serpent as it howled one final cry.

Now the collapsing stone threatened to bury them alive as it followed down the tunnel. Colossal boulders crashed into the ground, sending reverberating vibrations trough the earth causing ear-shattering crashes.

Gallows feel to one knee as they bypassed the entrance and met the light of the sun. As the group regained their breath, they could hear to cave collapsing under the unsteady pressure. The entrance became barricaded by dark stone; the cave was now condemned from any future exploration.

Kneeling by Gallows, Clive set his ARM aside and examined the injured ribs. Shaking his head, he came to a definite conclusion. "There are several broken"

"Don't worry about it, I'm fine" Gallows replied, struggling to stand and discovering it harder then he had expected. Virginia rubbed her arms with uncertainty as she watched the ground at her feet.

A few feet away, a certain silent android observed her expression. As the leader, failing a supposedly simple mission was a great mishap. And he knew her thoughts; she held herself responsible for the death of the man in the cave.

Noticing blood trickle from a minor cut on her cheek, Jet removed one his scarves. Choosing the red one only because the blood wouldn't be noticeable, he held it towards her while looking the other direction.

Virginia quirked a fine brow, taking the somewhat shredded scarf.

"You're bleeding" Jet remarked, glancing towards her for a moment and gesturing towards his own cheek with his index finger. Virginia dabbed her fingers onto her cheek and felt a minor pang of pain from the cut.

"Oh, Thank you" She replied softly with a wide smile as she placed the scarf to her cheek. She turned away now, shaking her head at Gallows who was promptly trying to mount his horse; failing unconditionally.

Jet watched her walk leisurely away, a calm breeze bushing her dress into the gentle flow of the wind.

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By nightfall, the group returned to the familiar town of Humphrey's Peak, an anxious sensation in their guts. The few court lights of the town glowed dimly as the residents slept soundly in the darkened homes. Clive's home was still awake; the bright light of the lamps from within emanated a welcoming greeting through the curtains.

Catherine must have been watching from the window, because she came quickly from the house before the group had entered the courtyard. She embraced Clive before withdrawing to exchange alarmed glances with everyone.

"A cave collapse was reported. I could hear it from here; it came from the direction of Gemstone Cave. Is everyone alright?" She inquired, examining the small cut on Virginia's cheek.

"Yes, I'm fine" Virginia replied with a smile, but gestured towards Gallows, who was leaning on an irritated Jet for support whether the hot-headed android wanted him to or not.

Catherine went to his aid, gently pressing her fingers against his fracture ribs, making him cringe. "Yes, they are indeed broken" She turned towards the house but abruptly turned towards Virginia, "A few hours after the cave was reported collapsed, a man came by. He said he was the one who sent you on the trip to the cave"

"Yes…we have some…news for him" Virginia fretted, hanging her head.

"I'm afraid he is not in town any longer" Catherine announced, clasping her hands, "He told me to let you know that he had to leave for an urgent reason. He wouldn't mention why, but he left a bag of Gella; that is all" She held out a frayed bag that was filled to the brim and Virginia took it reluctantly.

Catherine assisted the injured drifter into the house while the remaining three loitered outside. Virginia enlaced her fingers as looked upon each nearby house and then exchanged glances with Clive and Jet.

"That seems peculiar" Clive pointed out first, balancing his glasses, "I wonder why he would leave without knowing where his colleague was still alive or not"

"If he left when the cave collapsed then he long gone by now" Virginia said in a small voice, turning the bag in her hand. "How can we accept this?"

Jet crossed the courtyard towards the bridge that overlooked a waterless channel. Leaning his elbows over the edge, he coiled the red tattered scarf that Virginia had recently returned to him, around one arm. Virginia and Clive exchanged baffled glances.

Clive turned towards his house, looking at her from over his shoulder. "I suppose he wanted us to have it, we did try our hardest" He pointed out, "Don't feel so guilty, alright?"

Virginia nodded in return and Clive left for the house, slinging his ARM over his shoulder. Loitering by herself, she watched Jet as he stared over the railing. He was frowning as usual with an expression that was unreadable. He held the scarf to his lips as he closed his eyes. He then wrapped it around his neck with the white one.

Virginia took a step towards him, but stopped herself from taking another. Instead she turned towards the house for another night of sleeplessness. As for Jet, he stood at that bridge until sunrise deep in thought of someone so close but so far. His artificial body felt no fatigue and no tire.

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Again I apologize for the prolonged wait. I will definitely be updating more often from now on. I hope you enjoyed this chappie!