Here's the next chapter after such a long wait. I'm really determined to finish a previous story which I've nearly accomplished. So once that's finished, these chapters will start flowing more normally. Plus, I haven't played the game much so ya know how that is. Anywho, enjoy the chappie!

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Chapter 4

Open Sesame

The next day, after rising early to a warm morning, the group prepared for they're next journey. In hopes of finding the man who had sent them on the perilous mission at Gemstone Cave, they prepared for a long voyage. The gella had been a generous reward, but to Virginia, it wasn't for her to accept. They had failed after all and unfortunately, her decision didn't settle too well with her companions.

"What are you talkin' about, Ginny!" Gallows demanded as he tagged his leader around as she saddled her snowy horse, "Why would you give up that gella? We worked hard to go in there and find out the truth!"

"And? We didn't save that man" Virginia replied, frowning as she sighed deeply, "He's dead. We don't deserve that reward, you know that"

"Alright, Ms. Perfect, how are we gonna find the guy who gave it to us?" Gallows retorted with crossed arms, "He's probably long gone"

"Which means time isn't something to waste" She replied firmly with indifference. Gallows inanely continued to grumble as he tended to his own steed that proceeded to nibble greedily on the ivory colored locks that hung over the side of his face.

As she tightly strapped a saddle bag containing supplies to the leather saddle, Virginia felt penetrating eyes watching her. A sort of vague feeling that enticed curiosity as well as a nervous inkling of tension. She turned, facing the house, and noticed Jet propped against the corner of the house. He had remained outside the whole of the night, not desiring to sleep when he needn't bother. If he had been watching her, he was quick to hide it by watching townsmen pass him by with little interest.

With a shrug, Virginia returned to her task, suddenly feeling the eyes again. Before she could bother confronting Jet, Clive appeared from the front door of the house.

"So I suppose our best option would be to head east to Little Rock" Clive suggested, folding the map in his hands and then placing it in his pocket, "It's the closest town and Catherine mentioned that he left on foot"

"Alright, then to Little Rock it is!" Virginia announced, mounting the ivory horse.

As morning ascended into midday, the scorching sun pierced the barren wasteland. The dusty ground was coarse under the pound of hoof beats as the group crossed the dry desert.

Suddenly, something appeared different about the land and soon they reached a massive blockade, a precipice rising about 300 feet. The cliff seemed like it had spilt and rose straight up from the ground. They stared up at it in utter disbelief.

"What the…?" Gallows murmured with his mouth agape. "What the hell is this?"

"I don't remember this cliff being here…" Virginia stated with a baffled shake of her head, "We are going east, aren't we?"

"Yes" Clive replied, cupping a hand over his eyes as he looked up at the large impasse, "This cliff wasn't here the last time we came through"

"What are you sayin'?" Gallows furrowed a thick brow, "You mean, the land shifted? How the heck could that happen and no one feel it!"

"Very plausible question" Clive answered, steadying his glasses. He glanced at Virginia and asked, "So what should we do, go back?"

"No" Virginia replied, looking at each of them, "There must be an opening somewhere. Perhaps we hadn't ever noticed it her" She wasn't certain about what she was saying though. She knew she would have seen and remembered such a rock face as colossal as this.

They then followed the length of the rocky wall. It seemed endless, leading them for hours to no where different. It was if they were walking in place. After hours of endless traveling, the tremendous heat took quite a tool on one of the drifters.

"Alright!" Gallows exclaimed, literally leaping off the saddle. The startled horse abruptly turned and slammed into Jet's horse. The android, swearing as he went, fell face first into the sand.

"I shall destroy this with my brilliant brain power!" Gallows bellowed, splaying both hands against the rocky cliff, "AHA!"

"I think the heat has taken a toll on him…" Clive stated watching as Gallows started stomping aimlessly in a circle in some kinky dance.

"Agreed" Virginia replied, nodding.

Jet suddenly leaped to his feet and stomped angrily towards Gallows, who ignored the rather shorter individual.

"OPEN SESAME" Gallows suddenly cried with a large, silly grin plastered on his face.

Jet grasped Gallows jacket collar and wrathfully exclaimed, "Look, you idiotic dumba—"

He was interrupted by an abrupt shaking of the ground. Fragments of the stony cliff, large and small, began to rupture and crash onto the ground below. Then a large fracture formed at the base of the cliff and began a rigid zigzag upwards towards the top of the rock face. And then, it began to split and spread apart along the fracture.

"I DID IT!" Gallows shouted in victory from somewhere in the thick dust and rubble.

Virginia cupped her hand over her mouth trying to fight her coughing. Through squinted eyes, she attempted to find see her comrades through the smoke but couldn't. She dismounted her horse and it backed away to huddle next to Jet's horse in fear.

"Is everyone alright?" Clive asked once the rubble had settled a few moments later.

"Yeah" Gallows replied, rubbing his forehead, "I got hit in the head though"

"I'm alright" Virginia stated, focusing mainly on Jet who was standing a few feet away, looking at his hand with an impassive expression, "Jet, are you okay?"

He looked up at her abruptly and quickly added a stern, "I'm fine"

They all then looked towards the cliff, which now had a narrow trench carving a long path into the rock. It was dark, suggesting that the distance between Little Rock and themselves had grown somehow. It wasn't just a mistake, the land had changed. Could the continents of the planet truly shifted without their notice?

"Gee, Gallows, how'd you do that?" Virginia inquired, wide eyed.

"Well, I…I uh…" He stammered, "I don't know"

"I don't think Gallows did anything" Clive stated, tapping his chin, "It may have been a coincidence that he and his chicken dance occurred at the same time as the splitting of the rock"

"Hey!" Gallows barked at Clive, "That is a sacred dance of my people, man!"

"Okay, okay" Virginia said, waving a hand at Gallows, "I'm not sure what's going on, but maybe we should continue ahead…I mean Little Rock is out there somewhere" She let a nervous smile form on her face.

Leaving the horses and taking a few supplies, they entered the narrow trench. The high cliff walls obscured the sunlight from the ground floor, leaving them in near darkness.

They were only a few minutes in when Virginia realized the fourth wheel missing. She stopped and looked back for Jet, discovering only a silhouette of his figure distantly following behind. She waited back for him, letting the others lead ahead of them.

"Are you alright?" She inquired just as he approached her. But he ignored her with a smug expression, "At least answer me!" She snapped, grasping his hand merely out of contempt. He writhed at her touch and his expression changed into one of anguish.

Perplexed, she peered down at his hand. His gloved was tattered and his hand was literally ripped to where the skin would hang off, revealing artificial tissue. It was gruesome because there wasn't any blood, simply his fake skin torn.

"Jet, why didn't you tell us!" She snapped in concerned anger. She untied the red bow at her neck and attempted to wrap his hand in the soft ribbon, "If I didn't care if you were hurt, I wouldn't ask"

"It doesn't matter" He wretched his hand away, "It's not bleeding, it'll heal itself just like human skin" But it wasn't human skin, he wasn't human. And for that, he wouldn't ever accept what he was. And what he was made for.

"But it's hurting you" Virginia reasoned with wide, concerned eyes, "If I wrap it, it won't hurt as bad"

"Just leave it" He started forward, noticing Clive and Gallows becoming harder to see.

"But I—"

"Why the hell do you care!" Jet snapped, his voice echoing off the narrow walls. Staring into her large blue eyes, he wished he could have taken it back. "Look, I…"

"Sorry," Virginia bit her lip and simply shook her head, "I did, my mistake" She turned away from him in embarrassment and continued forward, where Clive stared back at them, confused. She passed him without stopping or explaining.

Jet watched her disappear somewhere into the narrow darkness. He realized he had hurt her just then, but didn't no how to seek forgiveness. He gazed at Clive who still stood waiting and then stared down at his hand. He noticed that she had dropped her red ribbon and he bent to pick it up. He held it tightly through the intense pain and continued forward.

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Poor Ginny! –sobs- Sheesh, what a random chapter lol But I hope you liked. And I really will try to update sooner this time! ttyl