Exodus: Guns & Gore

QJ decided to head to Laredo first and restock on some supplies. He opened the package from Remmy and his mom.

Chromium Hand Cannon

Shotgun: Drum-Fed

Special Effect: Chance to break

armor.

+ 10 to Stamina

Battle Rating 11.2

Silent Sniping Pistol

Barrel Extender with sound

suppression. Chamber modified to accept

Springfield Rifle bullets. Special

Effect: Increased Accuracy,

Increased Range. +5 Perception

Battle Rating 11.1

Chromium Carapace

Medium Armor

Chromium fabric blended

into a spider exoskeleton.

+10 Strength

Battle Rating 11.4

QJ whistled softly as he put on the new gear. The armor was slotted for the locked in holsters.

*Guild Speak QJ* Hey Leeta, are you still using the starter kit armor and pistol?

*Guild Speak Leeta* Yes, I've been spending all my credits on field bandages.

*Guild Speak QJ* Am upgrading my armor and pistol. I'll send you the old stuff.

*Guild Speak Lotte* Hey! I want some old stuff too!

*Guild Speak Ringo* Same.

*Guild Speak QJ* Learn how to heal and rez first.

*Guild Speak Leeta* Thank you QJ.

After gearing up, he decided to hit the casino and talk with Dixie. The saloon girl was serving drinks when QJ walked in. She quickly handed her serving tray to one of the other girls and walked toward him.

"QJ! I did not expect you so soon." She gently grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the back door.

QJ followed her out the door and up a flight of steps to a small suite. "Pardon the intrusion, Miss Jones."

"Hmm, I do like a polite man. It's no intrusion since I'm the one that invited you." She walked over to a fancy redwood desk and opened the middle drawer. She removed a small box and turned to face him.

QJ looked at the box, it was the size of a book. "I'm very curious about the contents of that box."

Dixie walked over to the sofa and took a seat. She patted the cushion next to her. "No need to hurry is there? I just got off, so I need to relax."

System Message: You have completed the Quest 'Something Special."

You have been awarded 5,000 XP for completing a hidden quest.

System Message: Dixie Jones's impression of you has improved.

System Message: You have received a Quest.

Long Hard Day

Quest Type: Hidden

Help Dixie Jones relax.

"..." QJ.

Dixie smiled pleasantly as she reached up and removed her hairpins. Her light brown hair tumbled down her shoulders. "You okay hun?"

QJ nodded, "you have lovely hair Miss Jones."

"So formal QJ, won't you call me Dixie?" She leaned back against the couch, her brown eyes smoldering.

QJ sighed and patted his lap. "Let's have em. Been on your feet all day right? I bet they are sore."


Dixie tentatively placed one foot on his lap, biting her lip when he removed her shoe.

"These can't be comfortable to wear all day." He used his thumbs to gently massage her feet.

Dixie shook her head, "no, but they are pretty. I like pretty things."

"Just relax Miss Jones, I'll take care of it." QJ rubbed her small feet, gradually Dixie's eyes started to close. After a few minutes, she had fallen asleep.

QJ couldn't help but smile. Dixie was sleeping rather soundly, both her feet were on his lap. He checked the time on his hud and leaned back to wait.

Finally, after about 15 minutes Dixie woke up. She seemed more energized and relaxed, "thank you QJ. I must say that I feel very relaxed now."

System Message: You have completed the Quest 'Long Hard Day."

You have been awarded 5,000 XP for completing a hidden quest.

System Message: Dixie Jones's impression of you has improved greatly.

"I'm glad you feel better Miss Jones, a lady must be sure to get proper rest." QJ slid her shoes back on her feet.

"A lady? I'm not sure if.." She blushed deeply. "Thank you, sir." She reached behind her and grabbed the wooden box. Without another word she opened it and showed him the contents.

QJ whistled, "a hideout gun?"

System Message: You have been offered the chance to learn a new skill. Do you wish to learn Hideout Gun?

"Yes."

Dixie held up the small derringer that was attached to forearm sleeve and by a spring. "You slip this on like so." She slid her hand through the sleeve and pulled it up her arm. She bent her wrist slightly and the derringer popped into the palm of her hand.

QJ stared at the derringer. It carried two .41 caliber bullets. He smiled broadly when she handed it to him. "Thank you, Miss Jones."

Derringer

Hideout: Two Shots

First Shot is always a critical

hit.

System Message: You have learned the skill 'Hideout Gun.'

She stared at QJ for a moment, "my real name is Annabelle. I just use the Dixie name to work here."

System Message: Annabelle is your friend. She may help you out when you have troubles, she may also ask for your assistance in the future.

**********

Half an hour later, Qj finally found himself back at the Bee Cave. He secured the rope to the stalagtite and walked toward the wax wall. A glimmer of light caught his attention. Carefully he made his way to the area, the ground was scorched badly. On the ground lay an odd looking device that he didn't recognize.

QJ knelt on the ground and examined it. For some reason, he hesitated to touch it. Next to the device was a plain silver bracelet, it was splattered with blood.

Lightbringer

A simple light

to see your path.

"Log-Off GnG"

System Message: You are unable to log-off at this time.

QJ felt a cold shiver go down his spine. Slowly he backed up toward the wall and opened his hud. A moment later a beautiful redhead appeared on his screen.

"QJ?" Leah smiled in surprise.

"Redline... GnG, Setters Canyon, North of Laredo. Redline..." QJ quickly cut comm and moved further into the shadows.

Faction Emergency Channel: Colonel Fintree: Redline...Report at Once to the GnG Gate!

Leah Fintree stepped out of her Ravenwood Home and headed toward the gate.

*Ba'Avriel*

Leah flapped her red wings hard to gain altitude, then banked and dived toward the town portal.

Faction Emergency Channel: Colonel Fintree: Who talked to QJ last?

Faction Emergency Channel: Jaded Ice: I didn't talk to QJ, but I sent Lark after him earlier in the evening. Updating Faction map to show his location.

Faction Emergency Channel: Colonel Fintree: All Companies Report!

Faction Emergency Channel: Captain Vess: Dagger Company present at GnG gate and standing by.

Faction Emergency Channel: Captain Yaya: Silverleaf Company present at GnG gate and standing by.

Faction Emergency Channel: Captain Crow: Orion Company present at GnG gate and standing by.

Faction Emergency Channel: Captain Jinn: Raven Company present at GnG gate and standing by.

Faction Emergency Channel: Commander Quickill: Gryphon Flight is standing by at GnG gate.

Faction Emergency Channel: Commander Nightingale: Songbirds present at GnG gate and standing by.

Faction Emergency Channel: Colonel Fintree: Vess! Secure all entrances and exits in the caverns where QJ has been hunting.

Faction Emergency Channel: Colonel Fintree: Merci! Start a search for QJ. All other companies stand by at the GnG gate.

**********

Merci Quickill entered the cave in full view, she didn't bother to stealth as low-level mobs cowered in front of the Assassin Queen. "There aren't many places to hide, find QJ and protect him at all costs"

Thirty Winged Assassins entered the caves, killing everything in sight as they started their search.

QJ heard the sounds of fighting and waited patiently, a few minutes later he spotted a familiar face. "Maia! Back here!"

Maia Gryphonwing turned at the voice, "QJ!" She moved quickly to his position and pushed him against the wall, shielding him with her body. "Captain, I've found him!"

A minute later QJ found himself surrounded by an entire Flight of Winged Assassin's "Something is stopping me from logging out."

Faction Emergency Channel: Commander Quickill: We have secured QJ, awaiting further orders.

Faction Emergency Channel: Colonel Fintree: Hold your position, I'm onsight already.

The beautiful redhead strode quickly through the caverns, her sharp green eyes missing nothing. "Release him."

QJ moved away from the wall and immediately opened up a faction wide hud. "I met with Lark at the Songbird tonight, I gave her a small bracelet as a gift. She walked me to the GnG gate and then stayed at the market to shop. "

Faction Emergency Channel: Jaded Ice: Let me interrupt QJ, Lark contacted me and asked for the location of your hunting grounds She didn't say why, but she wanted to find you.

QJ nodded and continued, "I was busy with some quests, by the time I arrived here I found the burnt remains of a corpse and the bracelet I had given Lark. There's also some other device nearby, I immediately tried to log off, when I was unable to, I declared 'Redline.'

Leah glanced at the burnt body, "Nia please take a look at the remains."

The Ba'Avriel Cleric nodded and held her hand over the ashes. "It's definitely not Lark, it's a male. She examined the bracelet closely. "The blood on this bracelet is human, so it isn't Lark's blood."

Leah Fintree opened her hud and tried to contact Lark. "I'm unable to contact her."

"Merci secure the caverns, no one comes in. Leave everything as it is" Leah grabbed QJ's hand and pulled him away. "You okay?"

QJ nodded, "I followed protocol."

Leah smiled, "a very good job. I'm so proud of you. Let me know when you can log-off."

QJ walked out of the cavern and tried to log-off. "Looks like I can leave now Leah."

A flash of silver wings announced the arrival of another. "QJ!"

"Gella? What are you doing here." QJ hugged his grandma and then waved at Leah. "I want to know everything that happens, Leah!"

Leah nodded and didn't leave until QJ had logged off. She smiled at her mother-in-law, "thanks for coming mother."

Ella returned her smile, "do we know what happen yet?"

"No, I'm going to need your assistance." Leah turned and reentered the cavern, "Lark came here looking for QJ, we are not sure what happened after that."

The silver-haired woman dropped her Ba'Avriel form and knelt next to the ashes. "Where is my son, and my three other daughters?"

Leah smiled, Ella had long ago added Lara Sy to the list of her daughters. "Tal and Quinn are standing by, Mojo is waiting at Faction HQ, Lara is at the GnG Gate."

Ella nodded as if the answer satisfied her.

*Silver Princess has activated Timescape.*

A swirling vortex of power gathered around Ella, her hands opened and moved as if spinning wool. An image of the cavern appeared in front of them, slowly it started to rewind. There was QJ exiting, Ella continued to rewind until she first found the scene. A woman with white hair beheaded a cloaked man. It rewound faster until it came to Lark's arrival in the cavern."

Leah Fintree looked at the frozen scene, " play it faction-wide please."

Ella watched as the scene unfolded. Lark had suspected something and moved to investigate it. The woman who had been waiting attacked the Songbird and was instantly killed. A cloaked man used some sort of artifact to imprison Lark in a crystal. The man rezzed the female only to be killed by her. She then left with the crystal. The lingering after-effect of being close to the artifact caused QJ to be unable to log-off.

"Someone actually targeted QJ?" Leah said it as if it were the most shocking thing imaginable. "Don't they know the consequences of trying to grab our son?" She knew without a doubt, that Quinn would deal with such actions in the most ruthless way possible.

Tal's face popped up on the hud, "QJ is safe and sound at home. I want that artifact in my lab at the academy immediately."

*********

QJ turned off the shower and dried off in his bathroom. He could hear his mom talking with Naomi Gajendra, they paused when he walked into the kitchen a few minutes later. Naomi's face smiled at him through the kitchen hud. "Morning QJ, you okay?"

QJ nodded, "so... to stop someone from logging off, you have to be using some sort of neural inhibitor right? Altering the interaction between consciousness and the neural headset."

Naomi stared at him, "Tal... please drag this kid out of the gaming world and make him go to MIT like you did."

Tal said nothing, she hugged him close and then released him. "Trust me, I've brought that up many times."

QJ continued without missing a beat. "Wouldn't the neural interface be too complex to initialize the procedure? It would take months."

Naomi nodded, "that seems to be the stopping point."

QJ pursed his lips, "so they'd use a hallucinogen. Altering the starting point and establish control quicker, it would be tenuous to start, but eventually, it might work."

Naomi gripped her dark hair with her hands, as if threatening to pull it out. "QJ! I've three very attractive assistants in my department, you can have them all."

Tal laughed from the fridge, she placed a glass of orange juice in front of QJ. "My son is above such obvious attempts at bribery."

QJ shook his head, "no, I'm not. Send me their holos and we'll talk."

Naomi nodded, "of course. Right away."

Tal slid over a plate of egg-bake and took a seat next to him. "Feel up to attending school today?"

QJ nodded, "yep. I'm more worried about Lark then anything else."

"You'll have to take some protection, who knows if they have another one of these things." Tal watched for his reaction, unexpectedly he nodded.

"Who is going to guard me?" QJ hoped it wouldn't be the Silverleaf women, they were way too forward.

"Leah and Mojo are sending their Shadowfiends to watch over you."

"Jali and Bali? Awesome." QJ polished off his food and put the dish in the washer. "Let me know if you find anything out mom."

Tal nodded and gave her son a kiss on the cheek. "Songbird at lunch please."

QJ nodded, "Bye Naomi, don't forget those holos!"